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THE  "AYESHA' 


'  1 '  >  ,  '  , »  J  -J   >  > 

'  >     1  >  '       )    \  5       >      »   1  ' 


VON  MUCKE 


The  "AYESHA" 


BEING 

THE  ADVENTURES  OF  THE  LANDING  SQÜAD 

OF  THE 


ii 


EMDEN» 


BY 

Kapitänleutnant 
HELLMUTH  von  MÜCKE 

TRANSLATED  BY  HELENE   S.   WHITE 


,■•  j     >   *»  <»       ' 

« •    •       •  • 

»      »  •  »  )      > 


RITTER  &  COMPANY 

BOSTON,   MASS. 


Copyright,  191 7,  by 
RITTER   &   COMPANY 

AU  rights  reserved,  including  the  translation 
into  foreign  languages,  including  the  Scandinavian 


First  Printing,  January,  191 7 
Second  Printing,  February,  1917 


THE  •  PLIUPTON  •  PftESS 
NORWOOO«MA88*U«S*A 


TRANSLATOR'S  PREFACE 

The  translator  has  so  enjoyed  rendering  this 
little  volume  into  English,  that  she  feels  im- 
pelled  to  testify  to  the  pleasure  it  gave  her,  and 
to  express  a  hope  that  it  may  find  many  readers 
who  will  follow  its  record  of  vaHant  deeds  with 
as  great  interest. 

That  men  placed  in  almost  daily  peril  of 
their  Hves  can  retain  their  sense  of  humor  and  a 
kindly  attitude  toward  men  and  circumstances 
throughout  a  desperate  struggle  with  adverse 
conditions  is  a  happy  testimony  to  the  buoy- 
ancy  and  to  the  superiority  to  the  merely 
physical  that  courage  in  the  face  of  danger 
begets. 

Although  always  bravely  confident,  there  is 
an  engaging  ingenuousness  and  freedom  from 
self-conceit  in  Lieutenant  von  Mücke's  dehght- 
ful  recital  of  his  amazing  achievement,  while 
his  never  failing  appreciation  of  the  humorous 
side  of  the  Situation  iUumines  the  entire  narra- 
tive  as  with  flashes  of  sunshine. 

4425S5 


vi  TRANSLATOR^S  PREFACE 

The  translator  desires  also  to  acknowledge 
her  indebtedness  to  an  earlier  but  unpublished 
translation  of  the  book  by  Mrs.  Anne  Rich- 
mond  Vaughan. 

Helene  S.  White 

January,  4th,  1917. 


FOREWORD 

That    TRUTH    IS     STRANGER     THAN    FICTION 

is  amply  illustrated  in  the  foUowing  gripping 
narrative.  I  have  read  practically  all  the 
stories  and  yarns  of  this  war,  many  in  their 
original  languages,  but  I  have  found  none  to 
surpass  this  interesting  tale.  In  the  years  to 
come,  all  men,  especially  those  "who  go  down 
to  the  sea  in  ships/'  will  find  in  these  adven- 
tures  some  very  profitable  lessons  in  persever- 
ance,  resourcefulness  and  courage.  Although 
this  feat  may  be  dimmed  by  the  light  of  the 
major  Operations  of  the  war,  I  predict  that  no 
reader  who  has  once  started  to  read  this  book 
will  fail  to  complete  it,  nor  on  completion, 
will  he  fail  to  say  that  he  has  enjoyed  a  most 
interesting  series  of  adventures. 

J.  H.  Klein,  Jr., 

Lieutenant,  U.  S,  Navy. 
Washington,  D.  C. 
3  January,  191 7 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTEK  PAGE 

I.    Keeling  Island i 

II.    The  "Ayesha" 12 

III.  On  Board 27 

IV.  A  FiNE  Day  on  Board 39 

V.    An  Uneasy  Day 45 

VI.    Padang 53 

VII.  The  Meeting  with  the  "Choising"  .  76 

VIII.    The  Passing  of  the  "Ayesha" 88 

IX.    From  Perim  to  Hodeida 98 

X.    On  to  Sanaa 121 

XI.    Shipwreck 140 

XII.    The  Attack 160 

Xin.    To  the  Railroad 204 

XIV.      HOMEWARD  BOUND 220 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Kapitänleutnant  von  Mücke  (after  his 

return) Frontispiece 

The  "Ayesha" page    i6 

Von  Mücke  (from  an  earlier  photograph) "      72 

View  of  Hodeida       )  ^^ 

Crossing  the  Desert ) ^ 

Map  of  Arabia "    166 

Map  showing  the  entire  trip  from  Keeling 

Islands  to  Constantinople "    218 


THE    "AYESHA" 

Chapter  I 
KEELING  ISLAND 

"I  REPORT  for  duty  the  landing  squad  from 
the  ship,  —  three  officers,  six  petty  officers,  and 
forty  men  streng." 

It  was  on  the  ninth  of  November,  1914,  at 
six  o'clock  in  the  morning  that  I  reported  for 
duty  to  the  commanding  officer  of  his  Maj- 
esty's  ship,  "Emden,"  Captain  von  Mueller, 
at  the  gangway  of  the  ship.  The  "Emden" 
was  lying  at  anchor  in  Port  Refuge,  a  harbor 
formed  by  Keeling  Reefs.  Alongside  were 
the  two  Cutters  in  which  the  officers  and  men 
of  the  landing  squad  had  ahready  taken  their 
places.  The  steam  launch  was  ready  to  push 
off  and  tow  them  ashore,    My  Orders  were 


'2  THE  "AYESHA'^ 

to  destroy  the  wireless  telegraph  and  cable 
Station  on  Direction  Island,  which  is  the  most 
northerly  Island  of  the  Keeling  group,  and  to 
bring  back  with  me,  in  so  far  as  possible,  all 
Signal  books,  secret  code  books,  and  the  like. 

Three  cables  run  from  Direction  Island,  one 
line  to  Mauritius,  another  to  Perth  in  Aus- 
tralia,  and  a  third  to  Batavia.  As  this  Station 
was  the  last  absolutely  British  connection  be- 
tween  Australia  and  the  motheriand  —  the 
other  cables  having  been  cut  by  some  of  the 
other  ships  of  our  cruising  fleet  —  we  had  every 
reason  to  suppose  that  we  would  meet  with 
vigorous  military  resistance.  For  this  reason 
we  were  taking  with  us  all  of  the  four  machine 
guns  that  the  "Emden"  carried.  Two  were 
aboard  the  steam  laxmch,  the  others  had  been 
put  on  the  cutters.  The  men  were  equipped 
with  rifles,  side  arms,  and  pistols.  The  laimch 
took  the  cutters  in  tow,  and  we  were  off  for 
Direction  Island. 

Even  quite  small  boats  must  pick  their  way 


KEELING  ISLAND 


very  carefiilly  while  within  the  waters  of  this 
atoll,^  in  Order  to  avoid  the  numerous,  con- 
stantly  changing  coral  reefs.  The  course  that 
we  were  to  take  from  the  ship  to  the  point  at 
which  we  were  to  land,  covered  a  distance  of 
about  3000  meters. 

Direction  Island  is  very  flat,  and  is  covered 
with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  tall  palms.  Among 
their  towering  tops  we  could  discern  the  roofs 
of  the  European  houses  and  the  high  tower 
of  the  wireless  Station.  This  was  our  objective 
point,  and  I  gave  Orders  to  steer  directly  for 
it.  Just  below  our  landing  place  a  small  white 
sailing  vessel  was  riding  at  anchor. 

"Shall  we  destroy  that,  too?''  inquired  one 
of  my  lieutenants,  pointing  to  the  little  schooner. 

"Certainly,"  was  my  answer.  "It  has  sailed 
on  its  last  voyage.  Detail  a  man  at  once  to  be 
ready  with  the  explosive  cartridges." 

With  our  machine  guns  and  firearms  ready 
for  action,  we  landed  at  a  little  dock  on  the 
*  Group  of  coral  islands. 


THE  "AYESHA" 


beach,  without  meeting  with  resistance  of  any 
kind,  and,  falling  into  step,  we  promptly  pro- 
ceeded  to  the  wireless  Station.  The  destruc- 
tion  of  the  little  white  sailboat  was  deferred 
for  the  time  being,  as  I  wished  first  of  all  to 
find  out  how  affairs  on  shore  would  develop. 

We  quickly  f ound  the  telegraph  building  and 
the  wireless  Station,  took  possession  of  both  of 
them,  and  so  prevented  any  attempt  to  send 
Signals.  Then  I  got  hold  of  one  of  the  English- 
men  who  were  swarming  about  us,  and  ordered 
him  to  summon  the  director  of  the  Station,  who 
soon  made  his  appearance,  —  a  very  agreeable 
and  portly  gentleman. 

"I  have  Orders  to  destroy  the  wireless  and 
telegraph  Station,  and  I  advise  you  to  make 
no  resistance.  It  will  be  to  your  own  interest, 
moreover,  to  band  over  the  keys  of  the  several 
houses  at  once,  as  that  will  relieve  me  of  the 
necessity  of  forcing  the  doors.  All  firearms  in 
your  possession  are  to  be  delivered  immedi- 
ately.    All  Europeans  on  the  Island  are  to  as- 


KEELING  ISLAND 


semble  in  the  Square  in  front  of  the  telegraph 
building." 

The  director  seemed  to  accept  the  Situation 
very  calmly.  He  assured  me  that  he  had  not 
the  least  intention  of  resisting,  and  then  pro- 
duced  a  huge  bunch  of  keys  from  out  his 
pocket,  pointed  out  the  houses  in  which  there 
was  electric  apparatus  of  which  we  had  as  yet 
not  taken  possession,  and  finished  with  the 
remark:  "And  now,  please  accept  my  con- 
gratulations/' 

"  Congratulations !  Well,  what  for?  "  I  asked 
with  some  surprise. 

"The  Iron  Gross  has  been  conferred  on  you. 
We  learned  of  it  from  the  Reuter  telegram  that 
has  just  been  sent  on." 

We  now  set  to  work  to  tear  down  the  wireless 
tower.  The  men  in  charge  of  the  torpedoes 
quickly  set  them  in  place.  The  stays  that  sup- 
ported  the  tower  were  demolished  first,  and 
then  the  tower  itself  was  brought  down  and 
chopped  into  kindling  wood.    In  the  telegraph 


THE  *'AYESHA» 


rooms  the  Morse  machines  were  still  ticking 
busily.  What  the  messages  were  we  could  not 
decipher,  for  they  were  all  in  secret  code.  But 
we  chuckled  with  both  amusement  and  satis- 
faction  as  we  pictured  to  ourselves  the  aston- 
ishment  of  the  senders,  who  were  waiting  in 
vain  for  a  reply  to  their  messages,  for,  from 
the  vigorous  action  of  the  apparatus,  we  con- 
cluded  that  some  Information  was  eagerly  de- 
sired.  But  this,  to  our  regret,  it  was  not  in  our 
power  to  furnish. 

Our  next  duty  was  quite  to  the  taste  of  my 
vigorous  boys  in  blue.  A  couple  of  heavy  axes 
were  soon  foimd,  and,  in  a  few  minutes.  Morse 
apparatus,  ink  bottles,  table  legs,  cable  ends, 
and  the  like  were  flying  about  the  room.  "  Do 
the  work  thoroughly!"  had  been  our  Orders. 
Every  nook  and  comer  were  searched  for  re- 
serve  apparatus  and  other  like  matter,  and 
everything  that  bore  any  semblance  of  useful- 
ness  in  a  wireless  Station  was  soon  destroyed. 
Unfortimately  this  fate  was  shared  by  a  seis- 


KEELING  ISLAND 


mometer  that  had  been  set  up  on  the  Island. 
In  their  zeal  my  men  had  mistaken  it  for 
a  lately  invented  addition  to  the  telegraph 
Service. 

To  locate  and  cut  the  submarine  cables  was 
the  most  difficult  part  of  our  task.  A  chart, 
showing  the  directions  in  which  the  cables  ex- 
tended,  was  not  to  be  found  in  the  Station,  but 
close  to  the  shore  we  discovered  a  number  of 
Signboards  bearing  the  inscription,  "Cables." 
This,  therefore,  must  be  the  place  where  we  must 
search  for  the  ends  of  the  cable  Strands.  Back 
and  forth  the  steam  launch  carried  us  over  the 
cables  that  were  plainly  to  be  seen  in  the 
clear  water  as  we  tried  to  grasp  them  with  a 
couple  of  drags  and  heavy  dredging  hooks, 
which  we  drew  along  the  bottom.  It  was  no 
light  task,  for  the  cables  were  very  heavy,  and 
the  only  power  at  our  command  was  a  very 
limited  amount  of  himian  strength.  For  a 
while,  it  seemed  impossible  to  draw  the  cables 
to  the  surface;   in  the  end,  after  we  had  suc- 


THE  "AYESHA' 


ceeded  in  raising  the  bight  of  the  cable  a  litüe, 
my  men  had  to  get  into  the  water,  dive,  and 
tie  tackle  to  it,  by  the  aid  of  which  we  con- 
tinued  our  labor.  With  great  difficulty  we  at 
length  succeeded  in  getting  the  cable  Strands 
into  the  boat.  I  did  not  want  to  use  any  of 
the  dynamite  cartridges  for  the  work  of  de- 
struction,  as  the  "Emden"  might  have  need 
of  them  for  the  sinking  of  more  steamers.  So 
we  set  to  work  upon  the  stout  cables  with  crow- 
bars,  axes,  driving  chisels,  and  other  like  im- 
plements.  After  long  and  weary  labor,  we 
succeeded  in  cutting  through  two  of  them,  and 
we  then  dragged  the  ends  out  to  sea,  and 
dropped  them  there.  The  third  cable  was  not 
to  be  found  in  spite  of  our  düigent  search  for  it. 
A  small  house  of  corrugated  iron,  in  which 
were  stored  quantities  of  reserve  apparatus  and 
all  sorts  of  duplicate  parts,  was  blown  up  and 
set  on  fire  with  a  couple  of  explosive  cartridges. 
All  newspapers,  books,  Morse  tapes,  and  the 
like,  we  took  away  with  us. 


KEELING  ISLAND 


Our  landing  squad  was  just  about  to  reem- 
bark  when,  from  the  "Emden,"  came  the  signal 
"Hurry  your  work.'*  I  quickly  summoned  my 
men,  abandoned  my  intention  of  blowing  up 
the  small  white  schooner  as  a  matter  of  Httle 
importance,  and  was  on  the  point  of  pushing  ojff 
from  shore,  when  it  was  reported  to  me:  "The 
'Emden'  has  just  soimded  her  siren."  This 
was  the  command  to  retum  to  the  ship  with 
the  utmost  despatch.  As  I  was  boarding  the 
steam  launch,  I  saw  that  the  anchor  flag  of  the 
"Emden"  was  flying  at  half  mast,  which  told 
US  that  she  was  weighing  anchor.  The  reason 
for  this  great  haste  was  a  mystery  to  me,  and, 
for  the  present,  was  no  concern  of  mine.  All 
my  effort  was  bent  upon  getting  back  to  the 
ship  as  speedily  as  possible.  With  all  steam 
on  we  raced  toward  the  "Emden,"  taking  the 
shortest  course  between  the  reefs. 

Meanwhile,  the  "Emden"  had  tumed  sea- 
ward,  and  was  running  at  high  speed  out  of 
the  harbor.    My  first  thought  was  that  she 


lo  THE  "AYESHA^ 


was  going  to  meet  our  tender,  the  "Buresk," 
that  had  been  ordered  here  with  coal,  and  which, 
I  supposed,  she  was  going  to  pilot  through  the 
reefs.  In  this  belief  I  continued  to  follow  the 
"Emden"  as  fast  as  I  could,  but  was  surprised 
to  find  her  going  at  a  speed  of  from  sixteen  to 
seventeen  miles.  Our  launch,  with  the  heavily 
laden  cutters  in  tow,  could  make  barely  four 
miles  an  hour. 

Suddenly  we  saw  the  battle  flags  on  the 
"Emden"  nm  up,  and  then  a  broadside  bnrst 
from  her  starboard.  Even  yet  the  reason  for 
all  this  was  hidden  from  me,  and  I  believed  the 
"Emden"  to  be  in  pursuit  of  a  steamer  that 
had  come  in  view. 

But  now  a  salvo  of  five  heavy  shells  Struck  the 
water  just  aft  of  the  "Emden";  five  tall  water- 
spouts  marked  the  places  where  they  feil  into  the 
sea.  There  was  no  longer  any  room  for  doubt; 
we  knew  that  a  battle  was  on  in  earnest.  The 
"Emden's"  Opponent  we  could  not  see,  for  the 
Island,  with  its  tall  palms,  was  between  us.  The 


KEELING  ISLAND  ii 

"Emden,"  in  the  meantime,  had  increased  her 
distance  from  us  to  several  thousand  meters, 
and  was  adding  to  her  speed  with  every  mo 
ment.  All  hope  of  overtaking  her  had  therefore 
to  be  abandoned,  and  I  turned  back. 


Chapter  II 
THE  ''AYESHA'' 

We  landed  at  the  same  place  at  which  we 
had  gone  ashore  before.  Again  I  ordered  all 
the  Englishmen  to  assemble,  and  their  firearms 
were  taken  from  them.  The  German  flag  was 
raised  on  the  Island,  which  was  declared  to  be 
under  martial  law;  every  attempt  to  communi- 
cate  by  signal  with  any  other  Island,  or  with  the 
enemy^s  ships,  was  forbidden;  my  officers  were 
given  Orders  to  clear  the  beach  for  defence,  to 
mount  the  machine  guns,  and  to  prepare  to  in- 
trench.  Should  the  engagement  between  the 
two  ships  prove  to  be  a  short  one,  I  could  count 
with  certainty  upon  the  enemy's  cruiser  running 
into  port  here,  if  for  no  other  reason  than  to 
look  after  the  Station.  It  was  not  my  Inten- 
tion, however,  to  surrender  without  a  blow  an 
Island  on  which  the  German  flag  was  flying. 


THE  "AYESHA"  13 

The  Englishmen  on  the  Island  were  little 
pleased  at  the  prospect,  and  begged  permission, 
m  case  it  should  come  to  a  battle,  to  withdraw 
to  one  of  the  other  Islands.  Their  request  was 
granted. 

Accompanied  by  two  of  my  signal  men,  I  now 
took  my  Station  on  the  roof  of  the  highest  house 
to  watch  the  fight  between  the  two  cniisers. 
As  a  whole,  the  Englishmen  showed  little  in- 
terest  in  the  conflict  that  was  going  on  but  a 
few  thousand  meters  distant  from  the  Island. 
Other  matters  seemed  to  claim  their  attention. 
WIth  an  Ingratlating  smile  one  of  them  stepped 
up  to  our  officers,  who  were  head  over  ears  in 
work  down  on  the  beach,  and  asked: 

"Do  you  play  tennis?'' 

It  was  an  invitation  which,  under  the  clr- 
cumstances,  we  feit  compelled  to  decline. 

By  the  time  I  had  reached  the  roof,  the  fight 
between  the  "Emden"  and  the  other  cruiser 
was  well  under  way.  I  could  not  identify  the 
enemy's  ship,  but,  judging  from  her  structure, 


14  THE  ''AYESHA» 

and  the  amoiint  of  water  raised  by  the  falling 
Shells,  I  concluded  that  it  must  be  one  of  the 
two  Australian  cruisers,  the  "Sydney"  or  the 
"Melbourne."  As  the  colimms  of  water  raised 
by  the  enemy's  Shells  were  much  taller  than 
those  caused  by  the  "Emden's,"  I  estimated 
the  guns  of  the  enemy  to  be  of  15  centimeter 
caliber. 

The  "Sydney,"  for  she  it  was,  as  I  leamed 
later,  was  more  than  a  match  for  the  "Emden." 
Our  ship  of  3600  tons  displacement  could  de- 
liver  a  broadside  of  only  five  10^  centimeter 
guns,  and  had  no  side  armor.>  whereas  the 
"Sydney,"  being  a  vessel  of  5700  tons  displace- 
ment, could  fire  a  broadside  of  five  15.2  centi- 
meter guns,  and  had  armored  sides.  From  the 
very  beginning,  the  "Emden's"  fire  reached  its 
mark  on  the  enemy's  cruiser,  whose  guns,  it 
must  be  said,  were  aimed  pretty  badly.  The 
water  spouts  that  were  raised  by  their  falling 
Shells  were  mostly  several  hundred  meters  dis- 
tant  from  one  another.    But  when  one  of  the 


THE  "AYESHA"  15 

volleys  did  hit,  it  made  havoc  on  our  xrnar- 
mored  vessel. 

During  the  very  first  of  the  fight,  the  forward 
smoke  Stack  of  the  "Emden"  was  shot  away 
and  lay  directly  across  the  deck.  Another  shell 
crashed  into  the  stern  aft  of  the  cabin,  and 
Started  a  great  blaze,  the  gray  smoke  of  which 
was  mixed  with  white  steam,  showing  that  the 
steam  pipes  had  been  damaged.  The  "  Emden  " 
now  turned  sharply  about  and  made  a  dash  for 
her  foe,  apparently  for  the  purpose  of  making  a 
torpedo  attack.  It  cost  her  her  foremast,  which 
was  shot  away  and  feil  overboard.  For  the  mo- 
ment  it  seemed  as  though  the  enemy's  ship  in- 
tended  to  discontinue  the  fight,  for  she  turned 
and  ran  at  high  speed,  followed  by  the  "Em- 
den." Whether  the  "Sydney"  had  suffered 
serious  damage  which  could  not  be  discerned 
from  without,  I  conld  not  teil.  Perhaps  it  was 
simply  her  Intention  to  increase  her  fighting 
distance  from  the  "Emden,"  in  order  to  take 
advantage  of  the  greater  caliber  of  her  guns. 


i6  THE  "AYESHA" 

The  running  fight  between  the  two  ships  now 
took  a  northerly  course  at  an  ever  increasing 
distance  from  the  Island,  and  soon  the  two 
cruisers,  still  fighting,  were  lost  to  view  beyond 
the  horizon. 

The  point  for  me  to  settle  now  was  what  to 
do  with  the  landing  squad.  So  far  as  our  ship 
was  concerned,  the  damage  she  had  suffered  at 
the  hands  of  a  far  superior  foe  was  so  great  that 
a  retum  to  the  Island,  even  in  the  event  of  a 
most  favorable  outcome  of  the  battle,  was 
out  of  the  question.  She  must  run  for  the 
nearest  port  where  she  could  make  repairs, 
bury  her  dead,  and  leave  her  wounded.  At 
the  same  time  I  could  count  with  certainty 
upon  the  arrival  of  an  English  war  vessel  ere 
long  in  Keeling  harbor,  to  leam  what  had 
befallen  the  cable  and  wireless  Station.  For, 
had  not  the  telegraphic  Service  to  AustraHa, 
Batavia  and  Mauritius  been  cut  off  entirely? 

With  our  four  machine  guns  and  twenty- 
nine  rifles  we  could,  for  the  time  at  least,  have 


^  ,f*^ 


THE  "AYESHA"  17 

prevented  the  English  from  making  a  landing 
on  the  Island,  but  against  the  fire  of  the  English 
cruiser's  heavy  guns,  which  would  then  have 
been  directed  against  us,  we  would  have  had  no 
defence  whatever.  Taking  everything  into  con- 
sideration,  therefore,  we  could  do  no  more  than 
defer  the  surrender  of  a  position  that,  from  the 
outset,  it  had  been  impossible  to  hold.  More- 
over,  confinement  in  an  English  prison  was 
little  to  our  taste. 

,  Now,  fortunately  for  us,  the  small  white 
schooner  that  we  had  failed  to  blow  up  was 
still  riding  at  anchor  in  the  harbor.  It  could, 
and  it  should  help  us  to  escape  from  our  pre- 
dicament.  I  decided  to  leave  the  Island  on  the 
little  boat.  Her  name  was  "Ayesha,"  ^  and  at 
one  time  she  had  served  to  carry  copra  from 
Keeling  to  Batavia  two  or  three  times  a  year, 
and  to  bring  provisions  back  with  her  on  her 
return  trip.    Now  that  steamship  Service  had 

,^  "Ayesha"^is  not  an  English  but  an  Arabic  name,  and 
is  pronounced  A-ee-sha.  Äyesha  is  the  name  of  the  favorite 
wife  of  the  Prophet  Mohammet. 


i8  THE  "AYESHA' 


been  established  between  these  two  points,  she 
lay  idle  and  dismantled  in  the  harbor,  and  was 
gradually  falling  into  decay. 

Taking  no  one  with  me,  I  got  into  the  steam 
launch  and  went  out  to  the  schooner  to  leam 
whether  she  was  at  all  seaworthy.  The  captain 
and  a  single  sailor  were  aboard  her.  Of  the 
former  I  inquired  casually  whether  he  had  any 
ammunition  aboard,  for  I  did  not  wish  him  to 
suspect  the  real  purpose  of  my  Coming.  He 
Said  there  was  none,  and  a  brief  inspection  of 
the  ship  led  me  to  believe  that  she  was  still  sea- 
worthy. Consequently  I  sent  my  officers  and 
men  aboard  the  "Ayesha"  to  get  her  into  trim 
for  sailing. 

There  was  plenty  to  do  on  the  little  ship. 
All  the  sails  and  rigging  had  been  taken  down 
and  stowed  away,  and  had  now  to  be  put  in 
place  again. 

When  the  Englishmen  on  the  island  realized 
that  it  was  my  intention  to  sail  off  in  the 
schooner,  they  wamed  me  with  great  eamest- 


THE  "AYESHA"  19 

ness  against  trusting  ourselves  to  her,  saying 
that  the  "Ayesha"  was  old  and  rotten,  and 
could  not  stand  a  sea  voyage.  Furthermore, 
they  informed  me  that  an  English  man-of- 
war,  the  "Minotaur,"  and  a  Japanese  cruiser 
were  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Island,  and  that  we 
would  snrely  fall  a  prey  to  one  of  them. 

As  my  predecessor  in  command  of  the 
"Ayesha"  was  leaving  her,  he  wished  us  God- 
speed,  and  concluded  with  the  comforting  re- 
mark,  "But  the  ship's  bottom  is  worn  through." 

When,  in  spite  of  all  these  warnings,  we  re- 
mained  firm  in  our  purpose,  and  continued  the 
work  of  getting  the  "Ayesha"  ready  for  sea, 
the  sporting  side  of  the  Situation  began  to  ap- 
peal  to  the  EngHshmen,  and  they  almost  ran 
their  legs  off  in  their  eagerness  to  help  us. 
Could  it  have  been  gratitude  that  impelled 
them  to  lend  us  their  aid?  It  is  a  question 
I  have  never  been  able  to  answer  to  my  satis- 
faction,  although,  to  be  sure,  several  of  them 
did  express  a  feeling  of  relief  at  the  thought 


20  THE  "AYESHA 


that  now  the  fatiguing  telegraph  Service  with 
its  many  hours  of  overwork,  and  its  lack  of 
diversion,  was  a  thing  of  the  past.  They 
showed  US  where  the  provisions  and  water  were 
kept,  and  urgently  advised  us  to  take  provisions 
from  the  one  side,  where  they  were  new  and 
fresh,  rather  than  from  the  other,  where  they 
were  stale.  They  fetched  out  cooking  Utensils, 
water,  barreis  of  petroleum,  old  clothes,  blan- 
kets,  and  the  like,  and  themselves  loaded  them 
on  trucks  and  brought  them  to  us.  From  every 
side  invitations  to  dinner  poured  down  upon 
us;  my  men  were  supplied  with  pipes  and 
tobacco;  in  short,  the  Englishmen  did  all  they 
could  to  help  us  out. 

Nor  were  they  sparing  with  advice  as  to  the 
course  we  ought  to  take,  and  time  proved  that 
all  they  told  us  of  wind  and  weather,  of  cur- 
rents,  etc.,  was  in  every  way  trustworthy.  As 
the  last  of  our  boats  left  the  shore,  the  English- 
men gave  US  türee  hearty  cheers,  wished  us  a 
safe  journey,  and  expressed  their  gratitude  for 


THE  *'AYESHA'^  2i 

the  "moderation"  which  we  had  shown  in  the 
discharge  of  our  duty,  wherein  all  of  our  men 
had  behaved  "generously,"  they  said.  Then, 
Cameras  in  band,  they  still  swarmed  about  the 
"Ayesha,"  taking  pictures  of  her. 

Meanwhile  the  lookout  on  our  ship  reported 
that  the  two  battling  cruisers  had  come  into 
sight  again.  From  the  top  of  the  "Ayesha's" 
mast  I  could  at  first  see  only  the  thick  cloud 
of  black  smoke  that  the  "Sydney^s"  smoke 
Stack  was  belching  forth,  but  soon  the  masts, 
smoke  Stacks  and  upper  deck  came  in  sight. 
Of  the  "Emden"  I  could  see  only  one  smoke 
Stack  and  one  mast;  the  rest  of  the  ship  was 
below  the  horizon.  Both  cruisers  were  steer- 
ing  an  easterly  course,  and  both  were  still  firing 
their  guns. 

Suddenly,  at  füll  speed,  the  "Sydney"  made 
a'dash  at  the  "Emden."  "Now,"  thought  I, 
"the  'Emden's'  last  gun  has  been  silenced,  and 
the  'Sydney'  is  running  at  her  to  deal  her  her 
death  blow."    But  then,  in  the  black  smoke  of 


22  THE  "AYESHA^ 


the  English  ship,  between  the  foremast  and  the 
nearest  smoke  Stack,  a  tall  column  of  water 
shot  up,  which  could  only  be  the  resiilt  of  a 
serious  explosion.  We  supposed  that  it  was 
caused  by  a  well-aimed  torpedo  shot  from  the 
"Emden.''  The  "Sydney,"  which  was  stül 
running  at  a  speed  of  twenty  nautical  miles, 
now  made  a  quick  tum  to  starboard,  changed 
her  course  entirely,  and  steamed  slowly  west- 
ward. The  "Emden"  continued  to  steer  an 
easterly  course.  Both  ships  were  still  firing  at 
each  other,  but  the  distance  between  them  grew 
greater  and  greater,  until  finally  they  were  be- 
yond  the  reach  of  each  other's  guns.  The 
fight  was  over.  In  the  approaching  darkness 
both  vessels  were  soon  lost  to  sight  beyond  the 
horizon.  That  was  the  last  we  saw  of  them. 
The  conflict,  which  had  begun  at  about  8.30  in 
the  morning,  ended  at  six  o'clock  in  the  evening. 
The  report,  published  in  all  the  English  news- 
papers,  that  it  was  only  a  "sixty  mmutes'  run- 
ning fight"  is  therefore  to  be  classed  with  the 


THE  "AYESHA'*  23 

many  similarly  false  reports  made  by  the 
English. 

The  oncoming  darkness  now  warned  me  to 
make  my  way  as  speedily  as  possible  out  of 
the  harbor,  for  the  dangers  of  the  coral  reefs 
render  it  unsafe  for  navigation  after  nightfall. 
In  the  meantime  we  had  taken  aboard  water 
enough  for  four  weeks,  and  provisions  for  eight. 
The  sails  had  been  bent  on  as  best  they  could 
be.  I  made  a  short  speech,  and  with  three 
cheers  for  the  Emperor,  first  in  command,  the 
war  flag  and  pennant  fluttered  up  to  the  mast- 
head  of  his  Majesty's  latest  ship,  the  schooner 
"  Ayesha."  Slowly  the  steam  launch  took  us  in 
tow.  I  cHmbed  to  the  top  of  the  foremast,  as 
from  there  I  could  best  discern  where  lay  the 
reefs  and  the  shoals,  for  of  charts  we  had  none. 
With  the  boatswain's  whistle  I  gave  the  launch 
Orders  to  steer  to  starboard  or  to  port,  accord- 
ing  to  the  lay  of  the  reefs.  The  "Emden^s" 
two  Cutters  we  carried  in  tow. 

Our  departure  was  much  too  slow  to  suit  us. 


24  THE  "AYESHA= 


The  sun  was  setting,  and  in  these  latitudes,  so 
near  the  equator,  there  is  no  twilight.  No 
sooner  has  the  sun  disappeared  below  the 
horizon  than  the  blackness  of  midnight  reigns. 
We  had  not  passed  quite  through  the  danger 
Zone  of  the  reefs  before  it  grew  so  dark  that, 
from  my  position  on  the  foremast,  I  could  not 
See  ahead  sufficiently  far  to  direct  our  course. 
In  Order  to  be  able  to  see  anything  at  all,  I 
climbed  down  into  the  port  fore  Channels  close 
by  the  water,  and  gave  my  Orders  from  there. 

Just  as  we  were  passing  the  last  reef  that 
might  prove  dangerous  to  us,  we  spent  some 
anxious  moments.  Suddenly,  m  spite  of  the 
darkness,  I  could  see  every  pebble,  every  bit 
of  seaweed  on  the  bottom,  an  immistakable 
evidence  that  we  were  in  very  shallow  water. 
Our  lucky  star  guided  us  over  this  shoal  also, 
however,  and  we  did  not  run  aground. 

Meanwhile  we  had  set  some  sail,  and  had 
thus  lightened  the  work  of  the  steam  launchj 
which  still  had  us  in  tow.    Before  long  we  were 


THE  "AYESHA"  25 

free  of  the  sheltering  Islands,  and  the  long, 
heavy  swells  of  the  ocean  put  some  motion  into 
our  new  ship. 

When  we  were  far  enough  out  at  sea  to  sail 
our  boat  without  danger  of  running  into  the 
surf  to  leeward,  I  called  the  steam  launch  back 
to  the  ship,  so  as  to  take  off  the  crew.  The 
heavy  swell  made  this  manoeuvre  no  light  task. 
Again  and  again  the  little  steamboat  was 
dashed  against  the  side  of  the  "Ayesha,"  and, 
although  the  future  of  the  launch  was  of  little 
interest  to  me,  this  unexpected  encounter  be- 
tween  my  old  ship  and  my  new  one  gave  me 
serious  concern.  I  had  no  confidence  in  the 
"Ayesha's"  ability  to  endure  with  safety  such 
vigorous  demonstrations  of  friendship.  Finally, 
however,  we  succeeded  in  ridding  ourselves  of 
the  steam  launch  in  this  way:  the  last  man 
aboard  her  started  her  engine  again  with  the 
little  steam  that  was  left  in  the  boiler.  Then, 
from  aboard  the  "Ayesha,"  we  reached  over 
with  a  boat  hook,  and  turned  the  rudder  of  the 


26  THE  "AYESHA" 


steam  launch  to  port.  Courtesying  elegantiy, 
the  littie  boat  drew  away  from  us,  and  soon 
vanished  in  the  darkness.  Whither  it  went,  I 
do  not  know.  In  all  likelihood  it  f  ound  a  grave 
in  the  surf  that  beat  wildly  only  a  few  hundred 
meters  away.  Perhaps,  however,  it  is  still  beat- 
ing  about  the  ocean,  raiding  on  its  own  account. 


Chapter  III 
ON  BOARD 

On  the  following  day  we  undertook  a  closer 
inspection  of  our  new  abiding  place.  The 
"Ayesha"  was  a  ship  of  97  tonnage,  as  we 
learned  from  an  inscription  on  one  of  the  beams 
in  the  hold.  Her  length  was  about  thirty 
meters,  and  her  width  somewhere  between 
seven  or  eight.  She  was  rigged  with  three 
masts.  Of  these,  the  after  two,  the  mainmast 
and  the  mizzenmast,  carried  only  fore  and  aft 
sails,  whereas  the  foremast  had  two  Square  sails. 
The  ship  was  originally  intended  to  be  manned 
by  a  crew  of  five,  besides  the  captain.  There 
were  now  fifty  of  us  aboard  her.  Provision  for 
berthing  the  crew  had  been  made  in  a  special 
crew's  cabin  in  the  extreme  forward  part  of  the 
ship.  But  here  there  was  room  for  only  six 
men  at  the  most;  the  rest  of  my  crew  had  to 
sleep  in  the  hold. 


28  THE  "AYESHA 


When  we  took  possession  of  the  "Ayesha" 
there  was  no  cargo  aboard  her  —  nothing  but 
iron  bailast  in  the  hold.  Luxurious  couches  my 
men  surely  did  not  have,  for  we  had  brought 
with  US  from  Keeling  but  few  blankets  and 
mattresses.  For  the  time  being,  the  men  slept 
in  a  spare  sail  spread  over  the  iron  ballast.  In 
time,  however,  they  would  be  able  to  better 
their  condition  considerably.  They  therefore 
went  busily  to  work  at  making  hammocks  out 
of  old  ropes  which  they  untwisted,  out  of 
twine,  and  out  of  old  sail  cloth  torn  into  Strips, 
and  other  like  material.  These  hammocks  were 
swung  wherever  a  place  could  be  f  ound  for  them, 
and  afforded  the  occupants  reUef  from  the  rather 
violent  motion  of  the  ship. 

Below  deck,  aft  of  the  hold,  were  two  small 
cabins  originally  fitted  out  for  sleeping  rooms, 
but  in  which  we  were  compelled  to  störe  our 
provisions.  Moreover,  swarms  of  huge  cock- 
roaches  made  them  impossible  as  living  rooms. 
In  the  extreme  af  ter  part  of  the  ship  was  another 


ON  BOARD  29 


small  cabin,  designated  by  a  sign  over  the  door 
as  navigation  room.  In  it  the  petty  officers 
were  quartered. 

On  deck  was  a  little  deck  house.  This  was 
divided  into  two  cabins,  with  a  bed  in  each. 
One  of  them  I  occupied  myself ;  the  other  was 
shared  by  my  two  lieutenants.  Adjoining  these 
cabins  was  another  tiny  one,  furnished  with  a 
table  and  a  few  small  benches.  This  served  us 
as  mess,  as  navigation,  smoking  and  wine  room, 
as  saloon  and  for  occupation  by  the  officer  whose 
watch  it  happened  to  be. 

Our  commissary  department  was  carried  on 
under  many  difficulties.  To  be  sure,  the  canned 
provisions  that  we  had  taken  with  us  from 
Keeling  were  of  an  excellent  quality,  but  the 
caboose,  that  is,  the  ship's  kitchen,  was,  of 
course,  planned  for  cooking  to  be  done  for  only 
five  men,  and  the  Lilliputian  hearth  was  in  no 
way  sufl&cient  for  our  needs.  Nor  could  the 
fresh  water  we  had  with  us  be  used  for  cooking, 
as  the  supply  was  sufl&cient  only  for  drinking 


30  THE   "AYESHA" 

purposes.  To  enlarge  our  cooking  facilities  we 
brought  pieces  of  iron  ballast  from  the  hold, 
and  with  this  and  some  Strips  of  tin  tom  from 
places  in  the  ship  where  it  was  not  absolutely 
necessary,  we  fashioned  a  fireproof  hearth,  and 
in  this  improvised  fireplace  we  kindled  an  open 
fire.  Around  it,  in  a  circle,  sat  the  men  holding 
the  cooking  pots  on  rods  over  the  fire,  until  the 
food  was  cooked.  To  set  the  cooking  Utensils 
on  the  fire  and  leave  them  there  was  quite  im- 
possible,  as  the  rolling  motion  of  the  ship  would 
soon  have  dislodged  them. 

All  our  cooking  was  done  with  salt  water. 
What  each  day's  bill  of  fare  was  to  be,  we  left 
to  the  decision  of  the  cook.  We  did  not  fare 
poorly  on  the  "Ayesha"  by  any  means.  For 
the  most  part  our  meals  consisted  of  rice  cooked 
with  fruit,  smoked  sausage,  corned  beef,  or  the 
like. 

The  drinking  problem  was  a  more  difficult 
one.  Aboard  our  little  ship  we  had  foimd  four 
small  iron  water  tanks  in  which  a  supply  of 


ON  BOARD  31 


fresh  water  sufficient  for  a  crew  of  five  could 
easily  be  carried.  These  tanks  we  had  not  had 
time  to  examine  while  getting  the  "Ayesha" 
ready  for  sea.  We  had  been  obhged  to  fill  them 
as  quickly  as  possible.  Now,  with  the  small 
crew,  only  one  tank  had  been  used,  and  after 
a  few  days  we  discovered  that  the  other  three 
had  become  foul.  The  water  we  had  put  into 
them  was  therefore  unfit  to  drink.  The  supply 
of  bottled  Seltzer  water  which  I  had  put  aboard 
at  Keeling,  I  feit  must  not  be  used  except  in 
case  of  extreme  emergency,  for  I  had  to  reckon 
with  the  possibility  that  the  "Ayesha"  might 
prove  unseaworthy,  and  that  we  would  have  to 
abandon  her,  and  take  to  the  "Emden's''  two 
Cutters,  that  we  had  aboard.  In  that  case,  the 
bottled  water  would  be  all  that  we  could  take 
with  US. 

We  hoped  to  be  able  in  a  reasonably  short 
time  to  replenish  our  water  supply  by  refilling 
with  rain-water  the  three  tanks  in  which  the 
water  had  fouled.    In  this  hope  we  wäre  not 


32  THE  "AYESHA 


disappointed.  On  the  thirteenth  of  November, 
only  four  days  after  our  departure  from  Keeling, 
the  first  of  the  usual  tropical  rains  set  in.  Our 
bad  tanks  had  been  cleaned  in  the  meantime, 
and  an  old  sali  got  ready  to  catch  the  rain. 
It  was  stretched  horizontally  across  the  main 
hatch.  In  the  middle  of  the  sail  was  a  hole, 
and  directly  under  this  hole  a  man  was  stationed 
with  a  petroleum  can,  the  kind  in  which  the 
Standard  Oil  Company  delivers  petroleum,  and 
into  which  the  rain-water  ran.  When  it  was 
füll,  it  was  passed  from  hand  to  hand  along  a 
line  of  men  until  it  reached  the  tank  into  which 
it  was  to  be  emptied.  In  addition  to  this,  the 
cabin  roof  was  arranged  to  catch  rain-water. 
Along  the  edges  of  the  roof  we  fastened  strips  of 
moulding,  and  the  water  which  collected  on  the 
roof  was  conducted  through  two  gutters  into 
petroleum  cans  hung  where  they  emptied. 
This  rain-water  was  not  only  fit  to  drink,  but 
was  rendered  quite  palatable  by  the  addition 
of  a  dash  of  lime  juice,  of  which  we  had  fortu- 


ON  BOARD  33 


nately  found  a  few  bottles  among  the  provisions 
of  the  former  captain. 

As,  from  this  time  forth,  the  tropical  down- 
pours  set  in  with  pleasing  regularity,  every 
morning  and  every  evening,  our  tanks  were 
soon  füll.  In  addition  to  these,  all  the  available 
Utensils  and  petroleum  cans  were  filled  with 
water.  These  rainfalls  were  very  welcome  for 
other  reasons  also.  Since  all  the  fresh  water 
had  to  be  reserved  for  drinking  purposes,  our 
prospects  for  washing  seemed  rather  dubious. 
Soap  will  not  dissolve  in  salt  water,  and  to  wash 
with  salt  water  alone  is  not  cleansing.  We 
therefore  utilized  these  tropical  downpours  to 
wash  ourselves,  and  as  shower  baths,  our 
necessity  resulting  in  the  invention  of  a  new 
sort  of  bath,  —  a  swinging  bath.  To  prevent 
the  rain-water  from  running  off  the  deck,  we 
stopped  up  the  drain  holes,  the  so-called  scup- 
pers,  with  old  rags.  With  the  rolling  motion 
of  the  ship,  the  water  which  had  thus  been  col- 
lected  on  the  deck  ran  from  one  side  to  the 


34  THE  ^'AYESHA^ 


other,  and  so  gave  us  a  most  excellent  oppor- 
tiinity  for  a  bath,  while  the  descending  rain 
answered  for  a  final  shower. 

Moreover,  the  "Ayesha"  carried  two  small 
jolly-boats,  the  one  barely  large  enough  to  hold 
two,  the  other  to  hold  three  men.  These  boats 
hung  on  the  davits  near  the  deck  house.  They 
also  were  now  used  to  collect  water  by  closing 
the  drain  holes  with  the  plugs  provided  for  that 
purpose.  Although  we  were  disappomted  to 
find  that  the  water  contained  in  them  was  some- 
what  salty,  and  therefore  unfit  to  drink,  it 
nevertheless  served  us  very  well  for  washing 
purposes. 

For  the  ship's  Service  the  crew  was  divided 
into  two  watches,  a  starboard  and  a  port  watch. 
Most  of  my  men  were,  of  course,  whoUy  un- 
used  to  hfe  on  a  saiHng  vessel,  and  the  handling 
of  the  gear  was  entirely  new  to  them.  This 
was  particularly  the  case  with  the  stokers,  who, 
naturally  enough,  had  never  seen  Service  on  a 
sailing  vessel.    Still,  there  were  among  the  crew 


ON  BOARD  35 


a  sufficient  number  of  fishermen  and  seamen 
who  at  some  former  time  had  served  on  sailing 
vessels,  to  make  it  possible  for  me  to  handle 
the  ship  with  safety.  Whenever  there  was  a 
Job  to  be  done  that  required  great  physical 
strength,  every  man  aboard  was  available  as 
so  much  man  power. 

At  first  the  gear  gave  us  much  trouble. 
Most  of  the  sails  were  old  and  rotten,  and  tore 
at  the  sHghtest  provocation,  so  that  we  were 
constantly  at  work  mending  and  patching  the 
canvas.  The  tackle  also  gave  way  frequently. 
We  were  theref ore  obliged  to  exercise  the  great- 
est  care  during  a  squall,  as  we  never  knew  just 
how  much  the  masts  could  bear. 

The  condition  of  the  ship  itself  was  not  such 
as  to  inspire  one  with  any  great  degree  of  con- 
fidence.  The  captain's  opinion,  expressed  in 
the  words,  "The  bottom  is  worn  through,"  as 
he  left  the  ship,  seemed  to  be  well  founded. 
When  we  went  down  into  the  hold  and  cau- 
tiously  scraped  away  at  the  planking,  we  dis- 


36  THE  "AYESHA'' 

covered  that  the  wood  was  red  and  rotten,  so 
much  so,  indeed,  that  we  quickly  stopped  our 
scratching,  as  we  had  no  desire  to  poke  the 
point  of  our  knife  into  the  Indian  Ocean. 

During  the  first  days  out  we  had  a  heavy 
swell  astern,  and  the  "Emden's"  two  cutters 
performed  some  wonderful  dancing  at  the  ends 
of  the  long  ropes  by  which  we  carried  them 
in  tow.  In  one  of  its  wild  gyrations  one  of  the 
cutters  took  a  notion  to  catch  on  to  the  ship, 
just  under  the  overhanging  stern.  Usually  such 
set-to's  between  a  ship  and  its  jolly-boat  end 
to  the  decided  disadvantage  of  the  latter,  but 
in  this  case  the  conditions  were  reversed. 
With  a  Sharp  plunge  the  nose  of  the  boat  buried 
itself  in  the  rotten  wood  of  the  stern,  and  broke 
a  plank  above  the  water  line.  I  had  little  de- 
sire for  a  repetition  of  this  Performance.  We 
therefore  set  the  ill-mannered  cutter  adrift,  and 
so  had  but  one  left,  which,  for  a  while,  behaved 
very  well.  But  this  proper  behavior  was  not  of 
long  duration,  for,  seized  by  an  overweening 


ON  BOARD  37 


desire  for  its  fellow,  no  doubt,  the  remaining 
Cutter  departed  one  night,  and  carried  with  it 
a  large  piece  of  the  bulwarks  to  which  it  had 
been  fastened.  And  again  the  break  in  the 
ship  showed  red  and  rotten  wood. 

In  those  first  days,  the  "  Ayesha"  also  leaked 
badly.  In  a  short  time  we  had  so  much  water 
in  the  ship,  that  it  rose  to  the  height  of  the 
iron  ballast  on  which  the  men  slept.  When 
we  tried  to  work  the  ship's  pump,  we  found 
that  it  was  out  of  order.  The  packing  of  the 
pistons  was  gone.  So  we  took  the  pump  to 
pieces,  got  the  piston  out,  replaced  the  missing 
rubber  packing  with  rags  soaked  in  oil,  and 
finally  succeeded  in  pumping  the  ship  dry. 
Taking  it  all  in  all,  the  "Ayesha'^  cut  a  pretty 
sorry  figure  as  a  ship. 

Had  we  had  visitors  at  this  period  of  our  sea 
voyage,  they  would  have  been  amazed  at  the 
resemblance  our  costumes  bore  to  those  in 
vogue  in  the  Garden  of  Eden,  for  even  aside 
from  the  times  when  we  took  our  tropical 


38  THE  "AYESHA" 

shower  baths  —  then  we  wore  nothing  at  all  — 
cur  clothing  was  very  scant.  For  the  landing 
at  Keeling  we  had  not  only  clothed  ourselves  as 
lightly  as  possible,  but  I  had  given  the  men 
Orders  to  wear  their  oldest  clothing.  Now,  with 
the  continuous  handling  of  the  sails,  and  the 
other  strenuous  work  aboard  the  ship,  our  wear- 
ing  apparel  was  fast  disappearing.  Having 
neither  needles  nor  thread,  we  could  not  even 
mend  it.  To  be  sure,  we  had  some  gar- 
ments  that  had  been  given  us  at  Keeling,  but 
these  served  rather  as  a  source  of  amusement 
than  as  clothing.  I  had  always  had  the  Im- 
pression that  Englishmen  generally  are  tall  and 
spare.  Whether  those  at  Keeling  were  an  ex- 
ception,  or  what  the  reason  was,  I  cannot  say, 
but  certain  it  is  that  most  of  their  trousers 
reached  only  to  a  little  below  the  knees  of  my 
men,  and  their  jackets  and  blouses  were  big 
enough  for  two. 


Chapter  IV 
A    FINE   DAY   ON   BOARD 

OvR  men  rose  with  the  sun,  at  six  o'clock  in 
the  moming.  On  war  vessels  it  is  the  custom 
to  rouse  the  crew  by  a  call  of  three  long  trills 
given  by  all  the  petty  oflScers  at  the  same  time 
on  boatswains'  whistles.  At  this  signal  the  men 
turn  out  and  lash  their  hammocks.  We  gave 
up  the  attempt  to  conform  to  this  custom,  as 
the  noise  that  our  one  boatswain's  whistle  could 
make  would  hardly  have  been  loud  enough  to 
attract  the  attention  of  waking  men.  The 
crew  slept  side  by  side,  packed  like  herrings  in 
a  box,  and  aU  that  was  needed  to  waken  the 
men,  was  to  rouse  the  first  one,  who,  in  rising, 
could  not  fail  to  waken  his  nearest  neighbor, 
who,  in  turn,  would  waken  the  next,  and  so  on, 
until  the  last  one  was  up. 

After  we  were  up,  the  next  thing  to  be  done 


40  THE  "AYESHA" 

was  to  wash,  provided  there  was  water  enough 
left  in  the  jolly-boats  from  the  night  before. 
If  it  so  happened  that  we  could  not  get  a  wash, 
we  accepted  the  Situation  with  a  cheerful  spirit, 
as  being  quite  in  harmony  with  the  total  ab- 
sence  of  toothbrushes  aboard  the  ship.  But 
our  hair  demanded  special  attention,  for  it  was 
growing  longer  and  longer  with  every  day.  The 
only  comb  that  we  possessed  was  passed  from 
hand  to  hand,  each  man's  neighbor  serving  him 
as  looking  glass,  while  for  hair  tonic  we  had 
most  excellent  salt  water.  There  was  even  a 
shaving  apparatus  for  the  dandies,  the  rusty 
condition  of  the  razor,  however,  making  it 
necessary  to  use  considerable  caution. 

Then  came  the  cleaning  of  the  ship.  Water 
was  haiiled  up  in  paus  from  over  the  sides  of 
the  vessel,  and  dashed  over  the  deck.  A  part 
of  the  crew  set  to  work  at  the  pumps  to  rid 
the  ship  of  the  water  that  had  leaked  in  over 
night.  The  sailors  were  up  in  the  shrouds, 
looking  after  the  latest  damage  that  had  been 


A    FINE  DAY  ON  BOARD  41 

sustained  there,  and  making  repairs.  The  cook, 
in  the  Company  of  his  own  chosen  helpers,  was 
forward  by  the  caboose,  busy  with  getting 
breakfast,  for  which,  besides  rice,  we  also  had 
coffee  and  tea.  When  this  was  over,  there  was 
really  nothing  more  for  the  men  to  do.  No 
drilling  could  be  attempted,  for  lack  of  room. 
So  we  filled  in  the  time  occasionally  by  initiat- 
ing  the  stokers,  and  others  unused  to  life  on  a 
sailing  vessel,  into  the  mysteries  of  steering,  of 
the  compass,  and  of  Service  in  the  rigging.  At 
other  times  the  one  chart  of  which  the  ship 
could  boast  was  fetched  out,  and  the  men  were 
shown  just  where  the  ship  lay.  Many  an  idle 
hour  was  spent  in  making  plans  for  our  future. 
As  for  Charts,  besides  special  maps  of  Ba- 
tavia,  where  we  had  no  Intention  of  going, 
there  was  only  the  one  large  map  that  has  been 
mentioned,  which  represented  the  half  of  the 
globe,  and  accordingly  was  on  a  very  small 
Scale.  It  began  with  Hong  Kong  and  Borneo 
on  the  east,  and  ended  with  Suez,  Zanzibar,  and 


42  THE  "AYESHA" 

Mozambique  on  the  west.  The  long  distance, 
about  700  nautical  miles,  to  Padang,  the  port 
to  which  I  intended  to  go,  was  represented  on 
the  Chart  by  a  space  of  no  more  than  a  hand's 
breadth. 

Meanwhile  the  dinner  hour  had  arrived.  As 
there  were  not  enough  plates,  forks,  etc.,  to  go 
round,  we  ate  in  relays.  Each  man's  portion 
was  dished  out  by  the  cook  under  supervision 
of  one  of  the  petty  oflScers  of  the  commissary 
department»  With  the  dinner,  a  cup  of  coffee 
or  tea  was  also  served.  To  while  away  the  long 
aftemoon,  we  prolonged  the  meal  as  much  as 
possible,  and,  when  it  was  over,  usually  in- 
dulged  in  an  aftemoon  nap.  The  Separation 
of  officers  and  crew,  as  is  customary  on  board 
ship,  was,  of  course,  out  of  the  question  with  us. 
The  deck  space  was  but  just  large  enough  to 
accommodate  all  the  men  with  some  degree  of 
comfort  on  the  upper  deck. 

Soon  little  groups  had  f  ormed  among  the  men, 
the  members  of  which  gathered  each  aftemoon 


A    FINE  DAY  ON  BOARD  43 

at  some  favorite  spot.  There  they  would  sit 
or  lounge,  smoking  or  sleeping,  or  happy  if  it 
was  their  tum  to  have  the  use  of  one  of  the  f  ew 
packs  of  Cards  that  we  had  been  able  to  secure 
before  we  left  Keeling.  Some  of  our  men  were 
devoted  fishermen.  Over  the  bulwarks,  at 
every  available  spot,  hung  the  fish  lines  in 
waiting  for  an  unwary  fish,  but  I  cannot  re- 
member  that  I  ever  heard  of  one  being  caught. 
Can  it  be  possible  that  this  is  to  be  ascribed 
to  a  dislike  for  rice  on  the  part  of  the  fish? 
For  rice  was  our  only  bait.  Reminiscences 
were  exchanged,  and  rebuses,  arithmetic  ques- 
tions,  conundrums,  and  the  like,  went  the 
rounds. 

In  the  evening,  after  supper  was  over  and 
the  sun  was  setting,  the  men  usually  assembled 
forward  on  the  deck,  and  sang.  As  there  were 
a  number  of  good  voices  among  them,  their 
singing  in  chorus  was  very  pleasing,  and,  as 
usual  when  Germans  are  having  a  good  time, 
the  "Loreley"  and  other  like  tragic  songs  were 


44  THE  "AYESHA^ 


those  that  were  oftenest  sung.  But  "Pupp- 
chen" and  the  "Song  of  the  Reeperbahn"  were 
not  neglected. 

No  particular  honr  was  set  for  tuming  in. 
Everyone  lay  down  to  sleep  when  it  suited  him 
best,  and  the  watches,  that  is,  the  forward  look- 
out,  and  the  man  at  the  wheel,  themselves  saw 
to  it  that  they  were  relieved  at  the  right  time. 
We  carried  no  lights  at  night.  We  had  but 
little  petroleum  aboard,  and  the  two  oil  lamps 
that  we  had,  gave  out  more  smoke  than  hght. 


Chapter  V 
AN    UN  EASY   DAY 

Not  always,  however,  did  the  days  pass  as 
uneventfully  as  the  one  just  described.  Often 
we  had  to  struggle  against  high  gales  and 
thundergusts.  In  fact,  they  had  to  be  reck- 
oned  with  both  morning  and  evening  of  every 
day.  As  welcome  as  the  thunderstorms  were 
for  the  supply  of  fresh  water  they  brought  us, 
we  yet  looked  forward  to  them  with  dread  also, 
because  of  the  strain  on  ship  and  rigging.  In 
the  tropics  the  Coming  of  a  thunderstorm  can 
be  Seen  from  afar,  and  the  time  of  its  arrival 
quite  accurately  timed. 

The  approach  of  one  of  these  storms  was 
usually  heralded  by  a  f ew  dark  clouds  near  the 
horizon,  the  falling  rain  showing  as  a  long, 
broad  streak  reaching  from  sky  to  ocean.  As 
the  clouds  rose  toward  the  zenith,  the  columns 


46  THE  "AYESHA" 

of  rain  came  visibly  nearer.  When  the  stonn 
was  within  a  thousand  meters  of  us,  the  sails 
were  furled  as  far  as  necessary,  and  we  rode 
out  the  gale.  We  "laid  to"  then,  with  close 
reefed  sails,  the  ship's  head  close  to  the  wind, 
until  the  gale,  which  was  always  accompanied 
by  a  downpour  of  rain  so  heavy  that  we  could 
see  nothing  except  what  was  immediately  in 
front  of  US,  was  over. 

One  day  we  had  an  especially  heavy  thunder- 
storm.  The  clouds  hung  so  low  that  it  seemed 
as  though  we  could  grasp  them  with  our  hands. 
The  wind  set  in  more  quickly  than  we  had  ex- 
pected,  and  just  as  we  had  begun  to  shorten 
our  light  sails,  the  tempest  was  upon  us.  It 
seized  the  mizzen-topsail,  and  whipped  it  furi- 
ously  through  the  air.  The  men  on  deck  could 
not  hold  it  against  the  strain,  it  flew  over  the 
mizzengaff,  caught  fast  on  it,  and  hung  there. 
To  secure  it  at  the  time  was  impossible,  be- 
cause  of  the  heavy  roUing  of  the  ship.  For  a 
while,  the  flapping  of  the  sail  endangered  the 


AN  UNEASY  DAY  47 

whole  mizzen-topmast,  but  more  especially  the 
slender  upper  part  of  the  mast,  which  is  always 
only  lightly  stayed.  Its  violent  motion  filled 
US  with  anxiety.  Moreover,  we  were  now  in  the 
worst  of  the  gale,  and  had  all  we  could  do  to 
attend  to  the  other  sails.  Nevertheless,  we 
finally  succeeded  in  furling  aU  the  sails  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  bits  of  canvas  that  had 
to  be  left  out  to  give  the  ship  steerage  way. 

The  clouds  were  so  heavy  that  it  was  almost 
as  dark  as  night.  Unceasingly  the  lightning 
flashed  about  us,  followed  instantly  by  a  heavy 
dap  of  thunder.  So  near  and  so  vivid  were  the 
flashes  of  lightning,  that  they  blinded  us  for 
the  moment,  and  for  seconds  at  a  time  we 
could  see  nothing  at  all.  It  was  a  genuine  little 
cyclone  that  was  sweeping  over  us. 

Then  the  violent  wind  suddenly  ceased  as 
the  Center  of  the  storm  reached  us,  and  the  air 
about  US  grew  absolutely  still.  The  high  seas 
and  swells  continued,  however.  The  ship, 
suddenly  robbed  of  its  support  by  the  almost 


48  THE  "AYESHA" 

instant  falling  away  of  the  wind,  rolled  so 
heavily  from  side  to  side,  that  we  feared  the 
masts  would  go  overboard  without  our  being 
able  to  do  anything  to  prevent  it.  The  atmos- 
phere  was  filled  with  electricity;  on  each  of 
our  mast-heads  bnrned  St.  Ehno  fires,  a  foot 
high. 

Slowly  the  thunderstorm  passed  over.  After 
a  few  more  brief  but  violent  gusts  of  the  recur- 
ring  gale,  the  wind  died  down  and  blew  more 
steadily  and  quietly.  Soon  nothing  remained 
but  a  few  distant  flashes  of  lightning  to  remind 
US  of  the  anxious  hours  we  had  but  just  passed. 
One  after  the  other  the  sails  were  set,  and  we 
proceeded  on  our  way.  But  soon  afterward, 
the  wind  died  away  entirely. 

The  times  when  we  were  becahned  were  per- 
haps  even  more  unpleasant  than  when  the 
wind  paid  us  an  over-amount  of  attention,  for, 
with  the  high  and  never-ceasing  ocean  swells, 
oxir  ship  rolled  very  heavily  whenever  there 
was  no  breeze  to  drive  her.    Then  the  sails, 


AN  UNEASY  DAY  49 

no  longer  filled  by  the  wind,  flapped  from  side 
to  side,  and  when  the  heavy  booms  went  over, 
the  whole  ship  shivered,  and  the  masts  trembled. 
At  such  times  we  often  thought  it  best  to  furl 
all  sails,  and  so  avoid  any  possible  danger  to 
ship  and  rigging. 

On  account  of  the  violent  and  jerking  motion 
of  the  ship  on  such  days,  life  aboard  her  was 
extremely  unpleasant  and  very  fatiguing.  To 
remain  aboard  the  ship  at  all,  we  had  to  hold 
on  to  some  support  continuously  with  both 
hands,  or  eise  wedge  ourselves  firmly  into  a 
secure  corner. 

On  this  particular  day,  we  were  again  obliged 
to  furl  all  sails.  While  we  were  thus  in  the 
worst  of  the  rolling,  and  were  swearing  vigor- 
ously  at  the  ship's  eccentricities,  suddenly  a 
cloud  of  smoke  was  reported  in  sight  on  the 
port  bow  forward.  As  we  were  wholly  outside 
of  any  course  ordinarily  followed  by  steamers, 
we  concluded  that  the  vessel  sighted  must,  like 
ourselves,  have  reason  to  avoid  the  usual  routes 


50  THE  "AYESHA^ 


of  steamship  travel.  At  first  we  thought  it 
might,  perhaps,  be  one  of  oxir  coaling  ships, 
either  the  "Exford"  or  the  "Buresk,"  which, 
just  before  the  fight  off  Keeling,  had  been  dis- 
missed  by  the  "Emden"  to  await  her  at  certain 
designated  points.  Having  neither  heard  nor 
Seen  anything  of  the  "Emden,"  they  might 
now  be  running  into  Padang,  hoping  there 
to  leam  what  had  happened.  On  the  other 
hand,  it  might  quite  as  well  be  a  hostile  cruiser 
that  had  run  into  Keeling  after  the  fight,  and, 
having  heard  of  onr  departure,  was  now  looking 
for  US. 

There  were,  in  fact,  but  three  courses  for 
US  to  choose  from  while  making  our  escape 
from  Keeling,  —  to  run  to  Padang,  to  Batavia, 
or  to  Africa.  Of  these  the  most  probable  ones 
were  to  Batavia,  or  to  Padang.  For  a  fast 
cruiser  it  would  be  an  easy  matter  to  search 
for  US  on  both  of  these  routes,  and  so  make 
sure  of  finding  us.  Elnowing  that  we  were 
whoUy  dependent  upon  the  wind  for  our  prog- 


AN  UNEASY  DAY  51 

ress,  our  pursuers  could  easily  picture  to  them- 
selves  the  course  we  had  taken,  and  where  they 
would  most  likely  find  us. 

Naturally,  we  made  every  effort  to  discover 
the  character  of  the  unknown  vessel.  But  even 
from  the  mast-heads  we  could  see  no  more  than 
the  smoke  she  was  leaving  behind  her.  To 
elude  her  by  changing  our  course  was  quite 
out  of  the  question  with  the  "Ayesha,"  be- 
cahned  as  we  were,  and  drifting  idly.  But, 
after  giving  us  a  few  anxious  hours,  the  smoke 
on  the  horizon  vanished. 

Meanwhile,  the  regulär  evening  breeze  had 
set  in,  and  with  it  came  the  usual  torrents  of 
rain.  We  were  now  in  the  region  where  the 
Southeast  and  Northwest  Monsoons  meet  and 
struggle  for  the  mastery.  The  wind  changed 
every  few  moments.  First,  a  gust  would  strike 
the  ship  from  forward,  and  the  next  minute  it 
would  be  blowing  a  gale  from  af t,  a  condition  of 
affairs  that  afforded  opportunity  for  some 
expert  and  ingenious  sailing  manoeuvres.   After 


52  THE  "AYESHA" 

we  had  practised  dose  hauling  the  sails  a 
number  of  times,  we  were  suddenly  confronted 
with  a  task  that  well  nigh  proved  too  much  for 
US.  A  violent  gust  of  wind  from  the  north- 
west  was  sweeping  down  upon  the  ship  from 
forward  at  the  same  time  that  one  from  the 
south  was  approaching  from  aft.  We  were 
therefore  obliged  to  tack  by  close  hauling  the 
foresail,  while,  at  the  same  time,  the  mainsail 
had  to  be  set  for  wind  from  astern.  The  two 
shower  baths  that  the  two  gusts  brought  us 
could  not  have  been  better  managed  in  an  up- 
to-date  sanitarium,  where  alternating  hot  and 
cold  showers  are  a  feature  of  the  baths.  The 
gust  from  the  northwest  brought  a  torrent  of 
rain  so  icy  cold  that  most  of  us  got  below  decks 
as  fast  as  we  could,  whereas  the  one  from  the 
south,  which  overtook  us  a  few  minutes  later, 
showered  us  with  water  that  was  more  than 
lukewarm. 


Chapter  vi 

PADÄNG 

On  the  twenty-third  of  November,  early  in 
the  morning,  the  ship  was  "  cleared  for  action," 
for  we  were  now  getting  near  land,  and  it  was 
not  at  all  improbable  that  we  would  run  across 
an  English  or  Japanese  torpedo  boat  destroyer 
coaling  somewhere  among  the  Islands.  For 
such  an  emergency  my  plans  were  made.  I 
intended  to  tack  ahead  of  the  destroyer,  which 
would  certainly  not  be  expecting  an  attack 
from  US,  to  bring  up  alongside  of  it  by  an  ap- 
parently  unsuccessful  manoeuvre,  and  then  to 
grapple  with  the  enemy  at  close  quarters.  To 
make  the  best  use  of  our  armament  we  had 
cut  four  holes  in  the  railing  of  the  "Ayesha" 
where  the  machine  gims  could  be  placed  to 
some  advantage,  although  the  rigging,  with 
its  lanyards  and  dead  ends,  would  certainly 


54  THE  "AYESHA" 

be  a  great  hindrance.  The  rifles  and  pis- 
tols  were  taken  up  on  deck,  and  the  ammuni- 
tion  was  set  within  easy  reach.  As  the  machine 
guns  had  not  been  used  for  some  time,  a  shot 
was  fired  from  each  of  them,  to  test  them. 

At  ten  o'clock  in  the  moming  the  lookout  at 
the  mast-head  reported:  "Land  in  sight  ahead." 
Just  where  we  were,  and  what  land  we  were 
approaching,  it  was  quite  impossible  for  us 
to  know,  with  the  limited  means  of  navigation 
at  our  command.  But  to  be  near  any  land 
whatever  was  a  source  of  satisfaction  to  us. 
Gradually,  one  island  after  another  came  in 
sight.  By  four  o'clock  in  the  aftemoon  we  had 
got  our  bearings  sufficiently  to  know  that  we 
were  just  outside  of  Seaflower  Channel,  and 
about  eighty  nautical  miles  from  Padang. 

Of  Seaflower  Channel  we  had  no  charts 
whatever;  we  only  knew  that  it  abounded  in 
reefs.  As  a  calm  always  set  in  towards  evening, 
and  I  dared  not  venture  to  pass  at  night  through 
this  Channel  so  imfamiliar  to  me,  we  lay  to, 


PADANG  55 


and  slowly  drifted  seaward  under  reefed  sails. 
Just  before  sunrise  we  turned  about,  and  steered 
for  the  Channel  again. 

Lookouts  were  stationed  in  the  masts  to 
watch  the  water  for  the  change  m  color  that 
indicates  the  presence  of  reefs  or  shoals.  With 
all  sails  set,  and  with  a  light  wind  in  our  favor, 
we  passed  through  the  Channel  during  the 
course  of  the  day  without  meeting  with  any 
serious  difficulties  in  the  way  of  navigation. 

As  we  no  longer  had  any  reason  to  fear  a 
shortage  in  onr  fresh  water  supply  before 
reaching  Padang,  the  bottles  of  Seltzer  water 
were  brought  out,  and  one  was  given  to  each  ^ 
man,  as  an  especial  treat,  and  probably 
afforded  us  more  enjoyment  than  had  a  bottle 
of  Champagne  under  ordinary  circumstances. 
On  that  evening,  just  before  seven  o'clock, 
our  log  registered  the  eight-hundredth  mile. 

Before  the  night  was  over,  a  final  gale,  with 
a  rain  like  a  veritable  cloudburst,  gave  us  con- 
siderable  to  do.     As  the  day  dawned,   the 


56  THE  "AYESHA  = 


high  mountains  of  Sumatra  came  in  sight 
against  the  horizon.  Unfortunately,  the  wind 
was  not  only  very  light,  but  off  shore  also,  and 
we  could  make  but  little  headway.  The  heat 
was  so  intense  that  towards  noon  a  sail  had 
to  be  spread  for  an  awning. 

Our  supply  of  tobacco  had  given  out  entirely 
by  this  time.  The  men  smoked  tea  leaves  as 
a  Substitute.  The  officers  tried  it  also,  but  — 
bah,  the  devil  was  welcome  to  it!  The  crew 
seemed  to  get  considerable  enjoyment  out  of 
it,  however. 

As  a  guide  for  the  run  into  Padang,  between 
all  the  many  reefs  and  Islands,  we  had  drawn 
a  Chart  for  ourselves  according  to  Information 
gathered  from  an  antiquated  sailors'  hand-book 
that  some  one  had  raked  up.  Although  this 
Chart  could  lay  no  claim  to  being  either  accu- 
rate  or  complete,  it  was  nevertheless  better  than 
none.  During  the  evening  we  saw,  on  one  of 
the  Islands  that  we  passed,  a  beacon  which 
was  whoUy  a  surprise  to  us.    Before  the  night 


PADANG  57 


was  over  the  long-looked-for  flash-light  of 
Padang  came  in  sight,  but  we  passed  it  at  a 
great  distance.  Much  to  our  regret,  the  cur- 
rent,  instead  of  taking  us  toward  land,  was 
steadily  carrying  us  farther  out  to  sea,  and, 
with  the  light  breeze  that  was  blowing,  to  tack 
was  out  of  the  question.  By  morning,  there- 
fore,  we  were  five  nautical  miles  farther  ojff 
shore  than  we  had  been  on  the  previous  evening. 
The  strait  in  which  we  now  were  is  the  high- 
way  for  all  ships.  We  had  little  desire  to  re- 
main  here,  if  for  no  other  reason  than  that  we 
were  very  likely  to  encounter  some  hostile 
cruiser.  By  this  time  a  complete  calm  had  set 
in.  We  therefore  lowered  our  two  jolly-boats, 
the  smaller  one  manned  by  one,  the  larger  boat 
by  two  men,  hitched  them  to  our  "Ayesha," 
and  so  attempted  to  make  some  headway. 
For  the  men  at  the  oars,  this  was  no  light 
task,  exposed  as  they  were  to  the  füll  rays  of 
a  tropical  sun,  as  they  sat  unprotected  from 
it  in  the  open  boats.    We,  on  board,  were  not 


58  THE  "AYESHA" 

idle  either.  The  oars  of  the  "Emden's"  two 
Cutters,  which  we  had  with  us,  were  fetched 
out  and  tied  together  by  pairs,  so  as  to  lengthen 
them,  and  with  these  we  proceeded  to  row  the 
"Ayesha."  Although  it  cannot  be  said  that 
we  attamed  the  speed  of  a  fast  mail  steamer 
in  this  way,  we  did,  however,  make  some 
progress. 

On  the  following  day  a  light  wind  did  at 
last  set  in,  and  relieved  us  of  this  strenuous 
labor.  In  the  distance,  near  the  coast,  we  saw 
a  number  of  steamers  that  were  evidently 
either  entering  or  leaving  the  port  of  Padang. 
One  of  these  roused  our  interest  more  than 
any  of  the  others,  because  she  apparently  did 
not  change  her  position  at  all,  and  so  was  evi- 
dently laying  to,  as  the  great  depth  of  water 
in  this  vicinity  precludes  the  possibility  of 
anchoring.  As  we  drew  near  to  the  vessel,  we 
could  make  out  with  some  degree  of  certainty 
that  she  was  not  a  merchantman.  She  ap- 
peared  to  be  a  small  warship  of  some  kind  —  a 


PADANG  59 


gun-boat,  or  a  torpedo-boat  destroyer,  and  flew 
a  flag  which  we  could  not  distinguish,  because 
of  its  great  distance  from  us. 

Suddenly,  the  ship  that  had  been  lying  so 
motionless  began  to  move.  Thick  clouds  of 
smokepoured  from  the  smokestacks;  she  tumed 
sharply,  headed  for  us,  and  approached  at 
high  speed.  In  a  short  time  we  recognised  the 
war  flag  of  the  Netherlands  flying  at  the  mast- 
head.  As  we  had  no  desire  to  drop  our  incog- 
nito  as  yet,  and  as  we  were  sailing  in  free  waters, 
there  was  no  reason  why  we  should  show  our 
colors.  We  therefore  quickly  gathered  up  all 
our  rifles,  and,  together  with  our  artillery  equip- 
ment,  stowed  them  away  below  decks.  All  the 
men  quickly  disappeared  down  the  main  hatch- 
way,  which  was  closed  after  them.  The  wildest 
looking  one  of  the  sailors  and  myself  were  the 
only  ones  who  remained  in  sight.  That  we 
both  belonged  to  the  Imperial  Navy  no  one 
would  ever  have  imagined,  as  our  clothing  was 
so  scant  that  we  would  much  more  readily  have 


6o  THE  "AYESHA" 

beert  sized  up  as  belonging  to  the  war  fleet  of 
some  one  of  the  Island  kingdoms  of  the  Pacific. 
Before  long,  the  torpedo-boat  destroyer  was 
close  beside  us,  and  began  to  evince  an  interest 
in  US,  which,  inexplicable  from  the  first,  soon 
became  extremely  embarrassing.  At  a  distance 
of  fifty  meters  she  slowly  passed  by.  On  the 
conamander's  bridge  stood  all  the  officers,  each 
provided  with  marine  glasses,  through  which 
they  examined  our  ship  with  great  curiosity. 
From  the  lively  conversation  that  was  going  on 
between  the  officers,  we  concluded  that  they 
were  talking  about  us.  The  destroyer  passed 
around  us,  close  under  our  stern,  and  all  the 
binoculars  were  turned  toward  our  ship's  name, 
which  had  long  since  disappeared  imder  a  coat 
of  the  thickest  white  paint.  We  were  just 
congratulating  ourselves  that  we  had  bluffed 
her,  when,  at  a  distance  of  5000  meters,  she 
suddenly  turned,  and  lay  to.  At  this,  I  could 
not  rid  myself  of  the  thought  that  we  had  been 
expected. 


PADANG  6i 


At  the  destroyer's  approach  we  had  got 
our  war  flag  ready  to  run  up,  for  if  we  had 
been  spoken,  we  would,  of  course,  have  replied 
by  a  display  of  our  colors. 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  our  attend- 
ant,  whom  by  this  tirae  we  had  identified  by 
the  ship's  name  as  the  Dutch  destroyer, 
"Lynx,"  left  us,  and  disappeared  in  the  dbec- 
tion  of  Padang.  In  our  cheerful  but  overhasty 
conclusion  that  she  was  preceding  us  into  port 
to  give  notice  of  our  Coming,  so  that  maids  of 
honor  might  be  in  waiting,  and  triumphal 
arches  be  prepared  for  us,  we  were  doomed  to 
disappointment,  however. 

By  nightfall  we  lay  close  before  the  small, 
flat  coral  islands  that  lie  in  front  of  the  en- 
trance  to  the  harbor.  We  could  see  the  Hghts 
of  a  steamer  that  was  Coming  out  of  the  harbor. 
Another  was  moving  into  port.  We  looked 
upon  both  of  them  with  suspicion,  as  we  sup- 
posed  one  of  them  to  be  our  companion  of  the 
foregoing  afternoon.     We  therefore  carefully 


62  THE  "AYESHA" 

screened  the  "Ayesha's"  lights.  We  had  made 
no  mistake,  for  in  signaling  to  the  incoming 
steamer,  the  outgoing  ship  revealed  herseif  to 
be  our  old  acquaintance,  the  "Lynx."  To  our 
regret,  she  had  sighted  us  in  spite  of  all  the 
precaution  we  had  taken.  Again  she  became 
our  close  companion,  and  for  a  while  her  green 
and  red  side  lights  could  be  seen  immediately 
astem,  at  a  distance  of  not  more  than  one 
hundred  meters.  We  feit  truly  sorry  for  the 
"Lynx."  It  must  have  been  very  irritating  to 
her  to  have  to  trundle  behind  us  at  the  wonder- 
ful  speed  of  one  nautical  mile,  a  speed  which, 
with  the  Hght  breeze  blowing,  the  "Ayesha" 
could  not  exceed.  The  engineers  at  the  looo 
horse-power  engines  of  the  "Lynx"  probably 
wished  us  elsewhere  more  than  once  that 
night. 

In  so  far  as  our  problems  of  navigation  were 
concemed,  the  presence  of  the  "Lynx"  was  a 
distinct  advantage  to  us,  for  we  were  sailing 
in  waters  with  which  we  were  wholly  unac- 


PADANG  63 


quainted,  but  we  could  feel  perfectly  siire  that 
wherever  the  "Lynx"  could  float,  we  could 
also.  We  knew  that  if  we  were  nearing  a 
shoal,  our  escort  would  retreat  in  time,  and 
we  could  then  turn  and  follow  her. 

Otherwise,  however,  her  companionship  was 
little  to  our  liking,  for  it  gave  us  the  appear- 
ance  of  a  disreputable  little  vagabond  being 
brought  in  by  a  burly  policeman.  As  we  were 
a  warship,  we  had  no  Intention  of  allow- 
ing  ourselves  to  be  thus  escorted.  I  there- 
fore  determined  to  communicate  with  the 
"Lynx"  by  signal.  For  this  purpose  I  had  a 
white  bullös  eye  lantem,  that  usually  hung  in 
the  men's  quarters,  brought  on  deck.  In  front 
of  this  lantem  we  held  a  board,  and  by  raising 
and  lowering  it,  we  gave  our  Morse  Signals. 
By  means  of  this  apparatus  of  high  technical 
development,  we  conveyed  to  our  escort  the 
message  in  English,  "Why  are  you  following 
me?"  Although  the  "Lynx"  acknowledged 
our  Signal  as  having  understood  it,  we  received 


64  THE   "AYESHA" 

no  reply  to  our  question.  After  a  half  hour 
had  passed  without  an  answer,  we  resorted  to 
our  Morse  signal  again,  but  this  time  asked  in 
German,  "Why  do  you  follow  me?"  And 
again  the  signal  was  acknowledged,  but  no 
answer  given.  Shortly  afterward,  however,  the 
"Lynx"  increased  her  speed,  and  steamed  off. 
For  another  whole  day  the  poor  "Lynx"  had 
to  dog  our  footsteps,  for  the  wind  continued  to 
fail  US. 

When,  on  the  following  day,  the  "Ayesha" 
had  carried  us  within  the  limits  of  Dutch  terri- 
torial waters,  we  immediately  ran  up  our  war 
flag  and  pennants.  The  "Lynx"  did  not  again 
draw  near  to  us,  but  kept  at  a  distance  of 
several  thousand  meters. 

Toward  noon  we  found  ourselves  in  a  Posi- 
tion of  some  peril.  We  were  aware  that  we 
were  now  in  a  region  of  submerged  reefs  over 
which  a  vessel  of  even  our  light  draught  could 
not  pass  in  safety,  but  of  the  exact  location  of 
these  reefs  we  knew  nothing.     To  our  great 


PADANG  6s 


relief,  a  little  Malay  sailboat  came  alongside, 
and  brought  us  a  native  pilot,  whom  I  was 
glad  to  employ.  The  only  prospect  of  remunera- 
tion  that  I  could  hold  out  to  him  was  through 
cur  consul,  as  the  entire  amount  of  cash  on 
board  consisted  of  a  Shilling  and  twopence, 
which  we  had  found  in  a  pocket-book  that  the 
former  captain  had  forgotten  to  take  with  him, 
and  which  we  had  confiscated  for  the  benefit 
of  the  Imperial  treasury.  In  marked  contrast 
to  the  Impression  we  made  on  the  Dutch  — 
as  developed  later  —  this  Malay  pilot,  who 
seemed  to  us  to  be  a  very  intelligent  person, 
was  from  the  outset  untroubled  by  any  doubt 
of  our  Status  as  a  German  warship,  for  he  at 
once  declared  himself  willing  to  accept  our 
promise  of  a  later  payment  through  the  Ger- 
man consul. 

Hardly  had  the  pilot  come  alongside,  when 
the  "Lynx"  made  a  dash  for  us  at  high  speed. 
As  we  had  no  idea  what  her  intentions  were,  I 
ordered  the  war  flag,  which  had  been  lowered 


66  THE  "AYESHA" 

in  the  meantime,  to  be  run  up  again.  In 
Order  to  impress  the  "Lynx"  more  fully  with 
the  fact  that  she  was  dealing  with  an  Imperial 
ship  of  war,  I  ordered  the  salute  customary 
between  warships  to  be  given,  as  she  sped 
past  US  at  a  distance  of  about  sixty  meters. 
Our  entire  crew  stood  at  attention  on  deck, 
and  our  officers  saluted.  The  "Lynx''  at  once 
retumed  our  salute  in  like  manner. 

Just  before  running  into  the  harbor,  I  flagged 
a  Signal  to  the  "Lynx,"  saying,  "I  am  sending 
a  boat."  Then  I  donned  my  full-dress  uniform 
—  my  khaki  brown  landing  suit  from  the 
"Emden,"  of  which  I  had  been  most  careful  — 
and  went  on  board  the  "Lynx." 

Her  Commander  received  me  at  the  gangway 
ladder,  and  escorted  me  to  the  messroom.  I 
opened  the  conversation,  saying  that  we  had 
feit  much  flattered  at  the  lively  interest  he  had 
shown  in  us  during  the  past  day  and  a  half, 
that  we  were  a  landing  squad  from  the  "Em- 
den," and  were  on  the  way  to  Padang  with 


PADANG  67 


his  Majesty's  ship,  "Ayesha,"  that  at  Padang 
we  wished  to  repair  damages,  and  relieve  the 
distress  on  board  by  replenishing  our  störe  of 
provisions  and  our  water  supply.  I  then  in- 
quired  whether  he  knew  of  any  reason  why  we 
could  not  mn  into  the  harbor.  To  this  the 
Commander  replied  that  he  had  Orders  to  ac- 
company  us,  that  there  was  nothing  to  prevent 
US  from  running  into  the  harbor,  but  that  in  all 
probability  we  would  not  be  allowed  to  nm 
out  again;  that  these  matters  would,  however, 
be  decided  by  the  civil  authorities  on  shore, 
and  that  he  could  give  us  neither  further,  nor 
more  definite,  Information. 

I  represented  to  him  that  the  "Ayesha," 
being  a  warship,  could  leave  the  harbor  at  any 
time,  and  that  no  one  had  the  right  to  detain 
US.  Then  I  added  in  jest:  "I  hope  you  and  I 
will  not  get  into  a  fight  when  I  run  out." 

As  I  left  the  destroyer,  I  saw  the  "Ayesha" 
for  the  first  time  from  a  distance,  and  under 
füll  sail.    I  must  say  that  she  made  a  capital 


68  THE  "AYESHA" 

appearance,  and  looked  very  pretty,  even 
though  the  patched  and  torn  sails  she  carried 
were  little  in  harmony  with  the  pennant  and 
war  flag  of  the  German  Empire. 

Just  before  we  reached  the  entrance  to  the 
harbor,  a  small  steam  tug  came  out  to  meet  us. 
It  was  bringing  the  harbor  master,  who  was 
Coming  to  show  us  where  to  drop  anchor.  He 
indicated  a  place  quite  far  out.  It  was  my 
Intention,  however,  to  get  as  close  as  possible 
to  the  steamships  lying  in  the  harbor,  for  even 
now  I  could  distinguish  the  German  and 
Austrian  flags  flying  on  some  of  them.  I 
therefore  told  the  harbor  master  that  I  would 
rather  not  anchor  so  far  out,  but  would  like  to 
run  farther  into  the  harbor.  It  was  not  a 
sufficiently  sheltered  place  for  my  ship,  I  ex- 
plained,  and  furthermore,  that  it  required  a 
great  length  of  chain  to  anchor  in  water  of 
that  depth.  That  our  chains  were  in  fact  quite 
long  enough  to  reach  to  the  bottom  of  water 
six  times  as  deep,  I  did  not  feel  obliged  to  teil 


PADANG  69 


him.  By  and  by  his  objections  were  overcome 
by  argument  in  piain  German.  But,  as  we  got 
farther  in,  he  demanded  very  insistentiy  that 
we  anchor  at  once.  Now  it  chanced  that  by 
a  mishap  the  two  topsails,  the  very  ones  by 
which  a  ship  makes  the  most  headway,  abso- 
lutely  refused  to  come  down.  Again  and  again 
the  sheets  and  halyards  hitched,  so  that,  as 
was  my  original  intention,  we  had  come  dose 
up  to  the  steamers  before  we  found  it  possible 
to  anchor. 

As  soon  as  the  "Ayesha"  lay  at  anchor,  I 
sent  my  senior  officer,  Lieutenant  Schmidt, 
on  shore  to  report  our  arrival  officially,  and  to 
make  my  wishes  known  to  the  authorities.  At 
the  same  time,  the  German  consul  was  asked 
to  come  on  board.  Furthermore,  I  announced 
that,  in  accordance  with  international  custom, 
no  one  would  be  allowed  to  come  on  board 
without  the  permission  of  the  govemment  au- 
thorities, nor  would  any  one  from  the  ship 
be  permitted  to  go  ashore. 


70  THE  ^'AYESHA" 

Soon  the  "  Ayesha"  was  surroimded  by  boats 
Coming  from  the  Gennan  ships.  There  were 
the  "Kleist,"  the  "Rheinland,"  and  the  "Chol- 
sing"  of  the  Lloyd  line,  besides  an  Austrian 
ship.  They  all  had  their  top  flags  set,  and 
greeted  us  with  a  "Hurrah."  Cigars,  ciga- 
rettes,  tobacco,  watches,  clothing,  poems,  letters, 
and,  what  we  wanted  most  of  all,  Gennan  news- 
papers,  were  thrown  to  us.  That  these  were 
old,  none  later  than  the  second  of  October, 
and  it  was  now  the  twenty-seventh  of  Novem- 
ber, mattered  little.  They  were  most  welcome, 
for  up  to  this  time,  the  only  news  that  we  had 
obtained  was  from  the  English  papers  that  we 
had  found  on  board  the  English  steamers  that 
the  "Emden"  had  raided.  All  that  we  had 
heard  of  the  war,  therefore,  were  the  widely  dis- 
seminated  Reuter  tales  of  horror  such  as:  — 
The  Russians  near  Berlin  —  the  Kaiser  wounded 
—  the  Crown  Prince  fallen  —  suicide  epidemic 
among  Gennan  generals  —  revolution  in  Ger- 
many  —  the  last  horse  slaughtered  —  complete 


PADANG  71 


rout  on  the  western  front,  and  the  like.  To- 
gether  with  the  newspapers,  many  pictures  had 
been  thrown  on  board  also,  and,  on  Coming  into 
the  cabin  and  mess  soon  afterward,  I  found 
the  walls  covered  with  pictures  of  the  Kaiser, 
the  Chief  of  the  fleet,  the  Secretary  of  State  for 
the  Imperial  Navy,  and  others,  which  the  men 
had  tacked  up  for  decoration. 

At  first  the  Dutch  govemment  authorities 
made  trouble  for  us,  as  they  were  not  disposed 
to  accord  us  the  Status  of  a  warship,  but  in- 
tended  to  regard  us  as  a  prize  of  war.  Against 
this,  I  made  an  instant  and  vigorous  protest  by 
declaring  that  it  was  only  to  my  superior  officers 
in  Germany  that  I  would  have  to  account  for  my 
right  to  command  this  ship.  At  the  same  time 
I  asked  permission  to  take  aboard  water,  pro- 
visions,  ropes,  sailcloth,  clothing,  nautical  Charts, 
and  the  simplest  toilet  necessities,  such  as  soap, 
tooth  brushes,  hair  brushes,  shoe  polish,  etc. 
The  German  consul  took  charge  of  this.  The 
"neutrality  officer,"   especially  appointed  by 


72  THE  "AYESHA" 

the  Dutch  govemment  to  look  after  such  mat- 
ters, immediately  wired  to  Batavia  to  get  his 
Orders  conceming  us  direct  from  the  authorities 
there.  Altogether,  the  Impression  I  received 
was  that  every  efifort  was  bemg  made  to  hold 
the  "Ayesha,"  and  to  intern  the  officers  and 
crew.  It  was  very  evident  that  the  local 
authorities  were  much  disturbed,  and  feared 
complications  with  Japan  or  England,  if  we 
were  allowed  to  leave. 

The  person  most  concemed,  and  the  one 
with  whom  the  decision  lay,  seemed  to  be 
the  harbor  master,  a  subaltem  ojQ&cial,  and  a 
Belgian  at  that.  When  the  aftemoon  had  well 
nigh  passed,  and  the  things  ordered  for  the 
ship  had  not  arrived,  I  requested  the  senior 
Dutch  Commander  at  Padang  to  order  the 
goods  to  be  delivered  at  once,  as,  in  conformity 
to  the  neutral  code,  I  would  have  to  run  out 
of  the  harbor  within  twenty-four  hours.  Fi- 
nally,  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening,  a  part  of 
what  had  been  ordered  arrived,  and  with  the 


'  1  »3  ) 


VON   MUCKE 


PADANG  73 


things  came  the  neutrality  oflScer.  He  made 
every  possible  effort  to  induce  me  to  allow 
officers  and  crew  to  be  interned.  As  I  had 
foreseen  this,  my  officers  had  been  asked  to 
be  present  and  take  part  in  the  conversation, 
so  that  he  might  be  convinced  from  the  begin- 
ning  that  the  "Ayesha's"  officers  were  unani- 
mous  in  refusing  to  consider  his  proposition. 

In  the  first  place,  the  neutrality  officer  repre- 
sented  to  me  —  in  so  far  as  I  could  see,  by 
advice  from  Batavia  —  how  wholly  impossible 
it  would  be  for  us  to  get  away,  as  it  was  for- 
bidden  to  deliver  either  marine  charts,  or  nauti- 
cal  books.  There  were  many  other  things  also 
with  which  we  could  not  be  supplied,  such  as 
clothing,  for  instance,  since,  to  provide  us  with 
these,  as  well  as  with  soap,  tooth  powder,  etc., 
would  be  to  "increase  oxir  war  strength." 

As  it  had  now  been  three  weeks  since  any  of 
US  had  been  able  to  brush  our  teeth,  we  de- 
cided  that  this  hardship  could  be  endured  a 
little  longer.    Nor  had  the  one  comb  we  pos- 


74  THE  "AYESHA" 

sessed  failed  to  serve  our  modest  demands. 
As  the  harbor  master  had  seen  that  my  men 
were  going  almost  naked  for  want  of  clothing, 
and  as  he  also  was  aware  that  we  had  no 
marine  charts,  I  could  but  conclude  that  there 
was  intention  in  refusing  us  these  very  necessary 
articles.  When  I  persisted  in  my  determina- 
tion  to  sail  with  or  without  charts,  I  was  told 
that  we  could  not  escape  capture  if  we  ran  out, 
as  the  waters  round  about  were  being  scoured 
by  Japanese  and  English  cruisers;  that  it  had 
only  been  by  a  lucky  chance  that  we  had 
escaped  capture  so  far,  and  that  we  would 
surely  be  caught  if  we  put  to  sea  again;  that 
the  "  Emden  "  had  acquitted  herseif  well  enough, 
and  that  no  one  would  criticize  us  if  this  hope- 
less  attempt  were  abandoned.  It  is  needless  to 
say  that  we  absolutely  refused  to  be  moved  by 
all  this  persuasion. 

Meanwhile,  the  provisions  had  been  delivered 
and  stowed  away  on  board,  and  the  ship  made 
ready  to  weigh  anchor,  the  only  hindrance  to 


PADANG  75 


our  departure  being  the  ten  live  pigs  that  we 
had  taken  with  us,  for  they  persisted  in  Standing 
just  where  our  anchor  chain  was  being  hove  up. 
At  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  we  left  oxir 
anchorage. 

From  the  Dutch  papers  that  we  received  a 
few  weeks  later,  we  learned  that  the  people  had 
occupied  themselves  with  various  speculations 
as  to  what  we  were  going  to  do,  and  where  we 
were  bound.  They  might  have  spared  them- 
selves the  trouble  of  these  speculations  if  they 
had  listened  as  we  departed,  for  the  answer  to 
the  question  whither  we  were  going  and  what 
were  our  intentions,  was  bom  back  to  them 
upon  the  breeze,  as  the  "  Ayesha"  vanished  into 
the  night: 

"  To  the  Rhine,  the  Rhine,  the  German  Rhine, 
To  guard  its  sacred  boundary  line! " 


Chapter  vn 

TEE  MEETING    WITH  TEE  ''CEOISING'' 

WiTH  a  light  wind  astem,  the  "Ayesha" 
dowly  made  her  way  out  from  among  the 
Dutch  Islands,  and  toward  three  o'clock  in 
the  morning  had  passed  beyond  the  limits  of 
Dutch  territorial  waters.  I  had  but  just 
turned  in  when  Lieutenant  Schmidt,  whose 
watch  it  was,  waked  me  with  the  words: 
"Captain,  a  German  boat  is  Coming  alongside." 

As  I  knew  that  we  were  then  well  out  at  sea, 
I  growled  out:  "Man,  don't  talk  nonsense! 
Let  me  sleep!" 

But  he  assured  me  again  that  it  was  as  he 
had  said,  and  would  not  be  frightened  off  even 
by  the  most  violent  protests.  At  the  same 
time  I  heard  loud  voices  from  outside  crying: 
"There  she  is,  there  she  is!  We  have  caught 
her  after  all." 


MEETING  WITH  THE  "CHOISING"      77 

As  I  came  on  deck,  I  saw  a  little  rowboat 
with  a  few  people  in  it  swiftly  approaching  us 
from  out  the  darkness  of  the  lingering  night. 
Soon  one  traveling  case,  and  then  another, 
came  flying  on  board.  Their  two  owners  ap- 
peared  immediately  afterward,  and  turned  out 
to  be  an  officer  of  the  reserves  and  a  chief 
engineer's  mate,  also  a  reservist.  Both  re- 
ported  to  me  for  duty.  As  we  were  outside 
of  the  limit  of  Dutch  territorial  waters,  there 
was  no  reason  for  deferring  their  enrollment. 

Our  only  difficulty  was  to  provide  quarters 
for  the  officers  now  aboard  the  "Ayesha,"  as 
there  was  but  the  one  bed,  which  was  hardly 
big  enough  for  three.  In  the  end,  it  was  ar- 
ranged  that  one  officer  should  sleep  in  the  bunk 
in  the  cabin,  while  another  chose  the  place  on 
the  floor  under  the  mess  table  for  his  bed,  a 
resting  place  which  was  not  wholly  free  from 
disturbance,  however,  as  the  third  officer,  who 
had  the  watch,  was  inclined  to  put  his  feet 
there. 


78  THE  "AYESHA" 

By  evening,  a  moderate,  favorable  breeze  had 
taken  us  as  far  as  Seaflower  Channel,  with 
which  we  were  well  acquainted.  To  our  sur- 
prise,  we  discovered  a  large  steamer  Coming 
toward  us  on  an  easterly  course.  As  there  are 
no  beacon  lights  on  this  strait,  it  is  avoided  by 
steamers,  most  merchantmen  preferring  to  go 
by  way  of  the  more  northerly  route  through 
Siberut  Strait,  where  there  are  many  lights. 
The  appearance  of  a  steamer  in  this  imfre- 
quented  spot  was,  therefore,  to  say  the  least, 
rather  remarkable.  I  strongly  suspected  it  to 
be  a  warship. 

As  qnickly  as  possible  every  sail,  to  the  very 
last  rag  we  had,  was  set,  our  course  was  changed 
hard  to  starboard,  and,  with  all  the  speed  we 
could  muster,  we  tried  to  get  back  into  Dutch 
waters.  To  our  great  relief,  the  low,  palm- 
covered  coral  Islands  soon  came  into  sight, 
easily  distinguishable  by  the  broad  white  line 
of  the  surf  that  always  breaks  on  their  shores. 
We  crept  as  dose  as  we  dared  to  this  line  of 


MEETING  WITH  THE  "CHOISING"      79 

surf,  keeping  at  a  distance  of  about  a  thousand 
meters  from  the  shore.  To  anchor  in  this 
depth  of  water  was  quite  impossible,  for  these 
coral  Islands  rise  abmptly,  abnost  perpendicu- 
larly,  out  of  the  water. 

Our  frame  of  mind  was  in  no  wise  improved 
when  suddenly  our  unknown  steamer  began  to 
exchange  flashlight  signals  in  secret  code  with 
some  other  vessel  as  yet  invisible  to  us.  Soon 
afterward  the  second  warship,  for  it  could  be 
no  other  kind  of  vessel,  steamed  away  toward 
the  south,  while  the  other  cruised  back  and 
forth  through  Seaflower  Channel,  Unfortu- 
nately  the  wind  died  down  more  and  more,  — 
so  much  so  that  our  hope  that  by  daylight  we 
would  be  out  of  sight  of  the  cruising  steamer, 
was  doomed  to  disappointment. 

It  was  my  intention  now  to  run  in  between 
the  many  small  islands,  to  tie  the  "Ayesha" 
fast  to  the  first  convenient  palm  tree,  take 
down  top-masts  and  sails,  and  so  make  it  im- 
possible to  discover  us  from  out  at  sea.    Then  I 


8o  THE  "AYESHA'^ 

meant  to  find  out  the  nature  of  the  ship  in 
which  we  were  so  much  interested.  The  calm 
which  set  in  rendered  it  impossible  to  carry  out 
this  plan,  however.  At  sunrise  we  were  only 
a  few  nautical  miles  distant  from  the  warship, 
and  hardly  had  the  dayhght  revealed  to  her 
the  masts  of  the  "Ayesha,"  when  she  changed 
her  course  and  approached  us  at  high  speed. 
We  were  still  within  the  limit  of  Dutch  terri- 
torial waters,  and  I  had  not  the  least  desire  to 
leave  them.  Fortunately  for  us,  the  man-of- 
war  turned  out  to  be  neither  English  nor 
Japanese.  It  was  the  Dutch  flag-ship,  "De 
Zeven  Provincien."  The  iron-clad  followed  us, 
always  at  some  distance,  however,  until  we 
had  left  Dutch  waters  in  our  course  westward. 
We  continued  to  sail  toward  the  west,  in- 
tending  to  keep  the  "Ayesha"  within  the 
vicinity  of  a  certain  point  where  we  hoped  to 
meet  with  some  German  steamer.  Although 
it  had  not  been  possible  for  us  to  make  any 
definite  arrangements  with  any  of  the  German 


MEETING  WITH  THE  ^XHOISING''      8i 

vessels  that  were  lying  at  Padang,  neverthe- 
less,  from  the  conversations  that  had  taken 
place  from  deck  to  deck,  their  captains  had  some 
knowledge  of  the  course  we  intended  to  follow. 
We  took  it  for  granted,  therefore,  that  some  one 
of  these  steamers  would  follow  us  with  a  view 
of  aiding  us  on  our  farther  journey.  So  we 
drifted  about  at  sea  for  nearly  three  weeks. 
During  a  part  of  this  time  we  had  rough 
weather,  which  was  especially  trying  to  our 
ten  pigs,  for  whom  quarters  had  been  put  up 
in  the  bows  near  the  capstan.  To  make  Hfe 
aboard  the  "Ayesha,"  when  she  was  rolling 
heavily,  at  all  endurable  to  these  animals,  we 
had  nailed  slats  on  the  flooring  of  their  quar- 
ters. Before  this  had  been  done,  the  poor 
creatures  went  sliding  back  and  forth  across 
the  smooth  deck,  from  rail  to  rail. 

Twice  our  hope  that  a  friendly  steamer  was 
Coming  to  our  relief  was  disappointed.  Each 
time  it  was  an  English  ship.  One  of  them  be- 
haved  so  peculiarly,  and  made  such  unusual 


82  THE  *'AYESHA" 

manoeuvres  as  we  came  in  sight,  that  we  be- 
lieved  her  to  be  an  auxiliary  cruiser.  We 
therefore  cleared  the  "Ayesha's"  deck  for  ac- 
tion.  To  occupy  the  attention  of  the  cruiser, 
with  whom  we  wished  to  pass  for  a  harmless 
merchant  vessel,  we  signaled:  "Please  give  me 
the  geographica!  position."  This  is  a  signal 
very  commonly  used  by  sailing  vessels  when 
meeting  a  steamer.  The  desired  information 
was  given  us,  but  with  it  came  the  embarrassing 
question :  "  Who  are  you?  "  We  had  no  special 
Signal  of  our  own,  and  the  "Ayesha's"  signal, 
which  we  had  learned  from  the  ship's  papers, 
we  did  not,  for  obvious  reasons,  care  to  give. 
So  we  took  four  flags  that  happened  to  be  at 
hand,  arranged  them  one  above  the  other,  tied 
a  knot  in  the  two  upper  ones,  so  that  no  one 
could  teil  what  they  were,  and  then  hoisted  this 
signal  in  such  a  way  that  it  was  half  hidden 
by  the  sails.  This  scheme  we  hoped  would  lead 
the  steamer  to  beheve  that  we  had  answered 
the  question,  but  that  she  had  failed  to  de- 


MEETING  WITH  THE  "CHOISING"      83 

cipher  our  signal.  About  half  an  hour  later  the 
steamer  had  disappeared.  We  saw  her  answer- 
ing  signal,  "I  have  seen  your  signal,  but  cannot 
make  it  out,"  fluttering  after  her  at  half  mast  as 
long  as  she  remained  in  sight.  The  second  Eng- 
lish  steamer  came  in  view  at  a  great  distance 
from  US,  and  probably  did  not  see  us  at  all. 

The  fourteenth  of  December,  1914,  was  a 
thick,  foggy  and  rainy  day,  with  rather  high 
seas  running.  The  "Ayesha"  was  tacking 
back  and  forth  under  close  reefed  sails,  when 
suddenly,  through  the  dense  atmosphere,  we 
could  see,  only  about  four  thousand  meters 
ahead,  a  steamer  looming  up  out  of  a  thick, 
gray  fog  bank.  She  had  two  masts  and  one 
smoke  Stack,  and  was  steering  an  easterly 
course.  We  were  sailing  toward  the  west. 
At  this  point  the  course  of  the  ordinary  mer- 
chantman  can  only  be  either  to  the  north,  or 
to  the  south.  Hence,  a  steamer  running  on 
an  easterly  course  here,  must  have  some  un- 
usual  reason  for  doing  so.    The  natural  infer- 


84  THE  "AYESHA^ 


ence  was  that  this  was  one  of  the  German 
steamers  looking  for  us.  We  steered  our  course 
for  her  at  once,  under  as  much  sail  as  our  ship 
could  carry.  We  sent  off  red  and  white  fire 
balls  that  are  visible  by  day  as  well  as  by 
night,  in  the  hope  of  attracting  the  attention 
of  the  steamer,  which  by  this  time  we  had 
recognized  as  the  Lloyd  steamer,  "Choising.'' 
Our  great  fear  was  that  the  "Choising"  would 
fail  to  see  us  in  the  foggy  weather,  and  so  would 
pass  US  by.  At  last,  after  we  had  sent  off  our 
fourth  or  fifth  fire  ball  signal,  we  saw  the  ship 
tum,  and  come  towards  us. 

Up  flew  our  flag  and  pennant.  The  steamer 
ran  up  the  German  flag.  The  crew  laid  aloft 
into  the  shrouds,  and  three  cheers  rang  from 
deck  to  deck.  As  usual,  our  men  were  dressed 
in  the  manner  customary  in  the  Garden  of 
Eden,  a  costume  which  necessity  had  forced 
upon  them.  The  men  of  the  "Choising"  con- 
fided  to  US  later  that  they  were  blank  with 
astonishment  when  suddenly,  out  of  the  fog, 


MEETING  WITH  THE  ^'CHOISING"      85 

emerged  a  schooner,  the  shrouds  of  which  were 
filled  with  naked  forms.  Because  of  the  heavy 
seas  running,  an  immediate  transfer  to  the 
"Choising"  was  not  possible.  As  better 
weather  had  prevailed  in  the  region  to  the 
south,  from  which  we  had  come,  I  signaled 
the  "Choising"  to  follow  the  "Ayesha." 

But,  instead  of  growing  better,  the  weather 
grew  steadily  worse  on  the  following  day, 
until,  during  the  course  of  the  night,  it  de- 
veloped  into  a  heavy  storm.  The  "Ayesha's" 
sails  were  dose  reefed,  and,  it  must  be  said, 
she  behaved  well.  Not  one  of  the  heavy 
combers  broke  over  her;  she  rode  them  like  a 
duck.  Of  course,  the  inside  of  the  ship  was 
as  wet  as  the  outside,  for  the  spray  dashed 
over  the  deck  without  intermission. 
l  At  daybreak  the  "Choising,"  which  is  a  ship 
of  1700  tonnage,  signaled  by  flag:  "On  account 
of  the  storm  and  heavy  seas  I  cannot  remain 
here."  I  therefore  decided  to  run  in  under  the 
lee  of  the  land,  so  as  to  make  the  transfer  there. 


86  THE  "AYESHA  = 


and  accordingly,  signaled  another  place  of 
meeting  to  the  "Choising."  The  two  ships 
separated  again,  as  I,  in  my  sailing  vessel,  could 
not  steer  the  same  course  that  the  steamer  took. 
The  next  night  was  the  worst  that  we  ex- 
perienced  on  the  "Ayesha."  All  night  long 
the  tempest  raged.  Although  aware  of  our 
proximity  to  the  Islands,  we  did  not  know  just 
where  we  were.  Both  the  wind  and  the  cur- 
rent  threatened  to  dash  us  against  the  reefs. 
The  night  was  so  black  that  we  could  not  see 
anything.  If ,  under  these  conditions,  we  should 
get  too  near  the  shore,  both  ship  and  crew  were 
doomed.  Even  the  small  rags  of  sails,  closely 
reefed  as  they  were,  which  we  still  carried,  were 
almost  too  much.  Towards  morning  an  espe- 
cially  fierce  squall  set  in.  It  was  too  much 
for  our  rotten  old  sails.  We  heard  a  sharp 
crack,  and  then  another,  —  our  foresail  and 
our  staysail  had  tom  away  from  their  holt 
ropes,  and  only  a  few  small  rags  were  left 
whipping  in  the  wind.    The  departing  foresail 


MEETING  WITH  THE  "CHOISING"      87 

took  with  it  a  third  sail,  the  fore  staysail,  so 
that  we  lost  all  our  forward  canvas.  To  set 
a  spare  sail  was  quite  impossible  at  the  time, 
both  on  account  of  the  darkness  and  of  the 
heavy  running  seas.  We  had  to  lay  to,  there- 
fore,  with  only  the  aftersails,  and  trust  to  luck 
to  keep  away  f rom  the  surf. 

As  soon  as  the  day  dawned,  the  spare  sails 
were  got  out  and  bent  on.  Before  long,  the 
wind  began  to  die  down.  We  found  it  possible 
to  increase  our  canvas  and  steer  toward  the 
place  appointed  for  our  meeting  with  the 
"  Choising."  As  we  drew  near  to  it,  at  about 
nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  "Choising" 
appeared  in  the  distance.  In  the  meantime, 
however,  the  wind  had  fallen  off  so  completely 
that  the  "Ayesha"  could  hardly  make  any 
headway  at  all.  I  therefore  signaled  the 
"Choising"  to  take  us  in  tow,  and  get  in  the 
lee  of  the  nearest  island.  There  we  would 
find  shelter  from  both  wind  and  waves,  and 
the  transfer  could  be  safely  made. 


Chapter  VIII 
TEE  PASSING  OF  THE  "AYESHA'* 

While  we  were  being  towed  by  the  "Choi- 
sing,"  we  began  to  unrig  the  good  old  "  Ayesha." 
It  saddened  us  to  think  that  we  would  have  to 
sink  her,  as  there  was  no  port  to  which  we 
could  take  her.  There  was  danger  that  she 
would  be  restored  to  her  former  owner  if  Twe 
took  her  to  a  Dutch  port.  This  we  wanted  to 
prevent  under  any  circumstances.  All  the  pro- 
visions  we  still  had  on  hand  were  placed  on  the 
Upper  deck,  and  our  arms  were  taken  there 
also.  Trunks  there  were  none  to  pack.  The 
"Ayesha's''  figure-head,  which  represented  the 
favorite  wife  of  the  prophet,  was  taken  down, 
and  the  rudder  wheel  unscrewed;  both  were 
to  be  carried  with  us  aboard  the  "Choising,*' 
and  kept  as  Souvenirs. 

Soon  we  had  reached  the  shelter  of  the  small 
Islands,  the  swell  ceased,  and  it  was  possible 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  "AYESHA''       89 

to  bring  the  "Ayesha"  alongside  the  steamer. 
Meanwhile,  the  "Ayesha's"  shrouds,  the  ropes 
which  hold  the  masts,  were  cut,  and  all  other 
ends  and  stays  were  either  removed,  or  cut 
through.  At  the  same  time  two  holes  were 
bored  into  the  hold,  and  through  these  the 
ship  began  slowly  to  fill. 

Towards  four  o'clock  in  the  aftemoon  the 
"Choising's"  engine  was  started  up,  and  the 
"Ayesha"  was  cut  adrift.  It  appeared  as 
though  the  little  ship  were  loth  to  part  from  us, 
for,  although  our  steamer  was  moving  on,  and 
no  hawser  was  holding  the  "Ayesha"  to  us, 
she  kept  alongside  the  "Choising"  for  some 
time.  And  then,  at  last,  as  though  she  had 
found  her  own  strength  insufl&cient  to  keep  up 
with  US,  the  "Ayesha"  caught  on  to  our  ship, 
just  behind  the  gangway  ladder,  carrying  a 
part  of  it  with  her. 

I  wanted  to  stay  by  the  "Ayesha"  as  long  as 
she  was  afloat,  so  our  steamer  was  stopped,  and 
we  lay  to  at  a  distance  of  three  hundred  to 


90  THE  "AYESHA" 

four  hundred  meters  off  from  her.  The  loss 
of  the  brave  little  ship  touched  us  deeply. 
Although  our  life  on  board  had  been  anything 
but  comfortable,  we  nevertheless  all  realized 
fully  that  it  was  to  the  "Ayesha"  we  owed 
our  liberty.  For  nearly  a  month  and  a  half 
she  had  been  our  home.  In  that  time  she  had 
carried  us  1709  nautical  miles.  We  all  stood 
aft  at  the  stem  raüing  of  the  "Choising," 
and  watched  the  "Ayesha's"  last  battle  with 
the  waves.  Gradually,  and  very  slowly,  she 
sank  lower  and  lower  ua  the  water.  Soon  it 
washed  her  upper  deck.  Then  suddenly  a 
shudder  passed  over  the  whole  ship;  she 
seemed  to  draw  a  long  breath;  the  bow  rose 
out  of  the  water  for  a  last  time,  only  to  plunge 
into  it  again  the  more  deeply.  The  iron  bailast 
roUed  forward;  Standing  on  end,  her  rudder 
up,  her  masts  flat  on  the  water,  the  ^'Ayesha" 
shot  like  a  stone  into  the  deep,  never  to  be 
Seen  again.  Three  cheers  for  her  rang  out 
above  her  ocean  grave. 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  **AYESHA"       91 

The  day  was  the  sixteenth  of  December, 
1914,  and  the  hour,  fifty-eight  minutes  after 
four  o'clock  m  the  afternoon. 

Aboard  the  "Choising,"  the  first  thing  to 
be  done  was  to  order  a  course  to  the  west,  and 
the  next,  to  see  what  provision  conld  be  made 
for  my  men.  A  place  had  already  been  pre- 
pared  for  them  in  a  part  of  the  ship  ordinarily 
used  for  the  storing  of  coal.  It  had  been  cleaned 
up,  and  mattresses,  blankets,  etc.,  sufficient 
for  all,  were  in  readiness,  so  that,  in  com- 
parison  with  the  days  spent  on  the  "Ayesha," 
a  life  of  luxury  was  before  us. 

An  ocean  greyhound  my  new  ship  surely 
was  not.  When  in  the  best  of  trim,  she  went 
at  the  rate  of  seven  and  one  half  miles,  but 
there  were  times  when  we  had  to  content  our- 
selves  with  four.  This  was  due,  in  part,  to 
poor  coal.  The  "Choising"  was  a  ship  that 
had  originally  been  intended  for  use  as  a  coal- 
ing  steamer  for  the  "Emden,"  and  in  this 
capacity    had    waited    long   for   her    at    the 


92  THE  ''AYESHA'' 

appointed  place.  But,  as  the  British  Admi- 
ralty  had  been  so  obliging  as  to  provide  the 
"Emden"  most  generously  and  considerately 
with  the  best  of  Welsh  coal,  although  its  in- 
tended  destination  was  Hong  Kong,  there  had 
been  no  reason  why  the  "Emden"  should  take 
on  any  of  the  poor  quality  of  coal  from  India 
and  Australia,  which  the  "Choising"  had 
aboard  for  her.  While  waiting  for  the  "Em- 
den" the  "Choising^s"  cargo  of  coal  had  got 
on  fire,  and  we  were  now  using  what  was  left 
of  this  half-burned  coal. 

On  the  "Choising"  we  had  news  which  was 
of  importance  to  us.  At  the  time  that  we  left 
Padang  in  the  "Ayesha,"  we  foimd  it  a  most 
difl&cult  Problem  to  decide  where  to  go.  My 
earliest  plan,  to  try  to  reach  Tsing-tao,  had 
to  be  abandoned  when,  at  Padang,  we  leamed 
of  the  fall  of  that  colony.  My  next  Intention 
was  to  join  his  Majesty's  ship  "Königsberg," 
of  whose  whereabouts  we  knew  nothing  more 
than  that  she  was  somewhere  in  the  Indian 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  ^'AYESHA"       93 

Ocean.  In  case  she  was  no  longer  there  (I 
had  hoped  to  get  news  of  her  from  the  "  Choi- 
sing"),  my  next  plan  was  to  sali  to  German 
East  Africa.  We  knew  that  there  had  been 
some  severe  fighting  there  between  our  colonial 
troops  and  the  Enghsh,  and,  upon  reflection, 
I  abandoned  this  project  also,  as  being  an 
absolutely  hopeless  one.  With  only  fifty  men, 
whose  clothing  outfit  was  an  entirely  inade- 
quate  one,  and  who  were  wholly  unprovided 
with  any  of  the  many  things  necessary  to 
troops  on  land,  with  neither  surgeon  nor  medi- 
cines,  no  knowledge  of  the  language,  no  guide, 
and  no  maps,  it  would  be  next  to  impossible, 
in  a  district  as  large  as  the  fighting  area  of 
Southeast  Africa,  to  locate  and  make  connec- 
tion  with  troops  numbering  not  more  than  a 
few  thousands  themselves.  For  the  present, 
therefore,  there  was  but  one  course  left  open 
to  US,  —  to  make  our  way  homeward  by  f ol- 
lowing  the  route  around  Africa.  How  to  Pro- 
vision our  ship  for  so  long  a  journey  was  a 


94  THE  "AYESHA" 

Problem   which    suggested   many   difficulties, 
however. 

But  at  last  we  found  in  one  of  the  news- 
papers  the  report  of  a  battle  between  Turkish 
and  British  troops  at  Sheikh  Said,  near  Perim, 
an  island  in  the  Strait  of  Bab-el-Mandeb  (Gate 
of  Tears).  This  gave  us  reason  to  believe  that 
Turkey  also  had  now  entered  the  war.  Our 
diHgent  search  for  confirmation  of  this  surmise 
was  finally  rewarded  by  finding  in  one  of  the 
papers  the  annoiincement  that  war  between  the 
Turkish  and  British  Empires  had  begun.  The 
new  Situation  thus  created  suggested  a  land- 
ing  in  Arabia  as  our  nearest  and  most  hopeful 
prospect.  The  course  which  appeared  to  be 
even  more  reasonable,  viz.,  to  join  the  "Königs- 
berg," was  abandoned,  in  the  first  place,  be- 
cause  the  "Choising"  had  brought  word  that 
the  "Königsberg"  had  been  sunk  in  battle 
somewhere  to  the  north  of  Australia,  and  in 
the  second  place,  because  of  news  that  she 
was  bottled  up  in  the  Rufiji  River.    If  she 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  "AYESHA"       95 

had  been  sunk,  our  search  for  her  would  be  to 
no  purpose,  and  if  she  was  shut  in  by  a  blockade, 
she  would  neither  have  coal,  nor  could  she  use 
any  that  we  might  bring  her.  The  fifty  men 
whom  we  shoidd  add  to  her  numbers  would 
only  make  so  many  more  mouths  to  feed. 

The  "Choising"  was  therefore  started  on  a 
southerly  course,  in  the  first  place,  to  avoid  the 
principal  steamer  routes,  and  secondly,  to  keep 
out  of  the  region  in  which  the  tropical  cyclones 
are  most  frequent,  for  the  "Choising"  was  not 
equal  to  such  a  tempest.  A  sharp  lookout  was 
kept,  so  that  we  might  catch  sight  of  an  enemy's 
ship  before  we  ourselves  were  discovered.  On 
account  of  our  ship's  remarkable  speed,  the 
only  Chance  of  escape  we  had,  in  case  we  came 
in  contact  with  a  hostile  man-of-war,  lay  in  a 
game  of  bluff. 

The  "Choising"  was  still  painted  like  all 
Lloyd  steamships,  viz.,  black  huU,  white  bul- 
warks,  and  ochre  brown  trimmings.  Of  course, 
we  could  not  in  safety  continue  like  that.    So 


96  THE  "AYESHA= 


we  gave  our  ship  a  coat  of  paint  that  made  her 
look  like  a  Dutchman.  But  on  second  thought, 
we  concluded  that  this  was  hardly  safe,  as  we 
were  likely  to  meet  a  number  of  vessels  in  the 
Strait  of  Bab-el-Mandeb,  and  that  some  of 
them  might  ask  us  the  question,  "Who  are 
you? "  which  already  had  proved  so  embarrass- 
ing  to  US.  We  had  no  record  of  seagoing  ships 
on  board,  except  an  EngUsh  list,  at  the  end  of 
which  we  found  the  names  of  a  number  of 
EngHsh  vessels  that  had  been  sold  by  the 
EngHsh  to  foreign  countries.  Among  these 
there  was  one  steamship,  the  "Shenir,"  that 
had  been  sold  to  a  Genoa  firm,  and  that  was 
a  vessel  of  1700  tons.  As  this  was  the  exact 
size  of  the  "  Choising,"  we  decided  to  adopt  the 
"Shenir"  as  Sponsor  for  our  ship,  and  ere  long 
the  legend,  "Shenir,  Genoa,"  in  large  white 
letters,  adorned  our  stern. 

This  discovery  we  had  made  in  the  English 
shipping  list  was  especially  welcome  to  me,  as 
I  preferrcd  to  pass  for  an  Italian.    In  view  of 


THE  PASSING  OF  THE  "AYESHA"       97 

Italy's  attitude  of  vacillation,  I  had  reason  to 
believe  that  even  an  English  warship  would 
hesitate  unnecessarily  to  harass  an  Italian 
vessel. 

The  "Shenir,"  from  Genoa,  would  naturally 
be  expected  to  fly  the  Italian  flag.  But  this  was 
an  article  which,  unfortunately,  was  not  num- 
bered  among  the  possessions  of  the  "  Choising." 
Nor  was  there  any  green  bunting  on  board.  A 
green  window  curtain  was  discovered  by  some 
one,  however,  and  to  it  we  sewed  a  strip  of 
red,  and  a  strip  of  white  bunting.  A  committee 
was  then  selected  from  among  the  men  who  had 
artistic  ability,  and  they  were  soon  hard  at 
work  painting  Italy's  coat  of  arms  upon  the 
white  Strip.  The  green  of  the  curtain  was  not 
of  the  right  shade,  however,  so  we  added  some 
yellow  paint  to  a  pot  of  blue,  which  we  hap- 
pened  to  have  on  board,  until  the  desired 
shade  of  green  was  produced,  and  then  dipped 
the  green  part  of  the  flag  into  it. 


Chapter  IX 
FROM  PERIM  TO  HODEIDA 

January  7th,  191 5,  found  us  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  Straits  of  Perim.  Nothing  worthy  of 
note  had  happened  on  the  way.  A  number  of 
steamers  had  been  sighted,  but  always  in  time 
to  change  the  course  of  our  vessel  toward  the 
coast  of  Africa.  We  kept  this  course  until  the 
steamer  had  disappeared,  when  we  promptly 
retumed  to  the  right  one. 

Christmas  was  a  very  quiet  day  with  us, 
but  our  New  Year's  festivities  were  all  the 
more  hilarious,  and  we  made  the  most  of  what 
little  remained  of  beer  and  wine  aboard  the 
"Choising." 

It  had  been  my  Intention  to  arrive  in  the 
Perim  Straits  immediately  after  sundown.  In 
this  we  were  not  quite  successful,  however,  and 
again  for  the  reason  that  we  had  no  marine 


FROM  PERIM  TO  HODEIDA  99 

Charts.  Just  as  once  before  we  had  to  draw  a 
Chart  for  ourselves  when  ruiming  into  Padang, 
so  now  we  had  been  obliged  to  make  one  of 
the  Red  Sea,  and,  naturally,  our  knowledge  of 
the  "Choising's"  position  was  not  quite  ac- 
curate.  As  a  consequence,  we  arrived  at  the 
Straits  of  Perim  a  few  hours  too  early.  I 
therefore  gave  Orders  to  turn  about  and  cruise 
back  and  forth  a  while.  A  large  steamer  Com- 
ing from  Dachibuti  gave  us  some  anxious 
moments,  for  we  took  her  to  be  a  man-of-war. 
She  turned  out  to  be  a  French  mail  steamer, 
however.  As  soon  as  darkness  set  in,  we  steered 
for  the  Straits  of  Perim  again,  and  proceeded  at 
high  speed. 

I  had  counted  with  certainty  upon  meeting 
with  some  sort  of  patrol  in  the  Straits.  In 
that  event  we  would  have  been  quite  helpless, 
for  with  the  "Choising"  we  could  not  face  even 
the  smallest  hostile  war  vessel.  We  could  not 
so  much  as  run  away,  for  any  steam  launch 
could  have  overtaken  us.    As  my  chief  pur- 


loo  THE  "AYESHA" 

pose  was  to  conduct  my  men  to  where  they 
could  again  serve  in  defence  of  their  coimtry, 
I  determined,  if  necessary,  to  sacrifice  the 
"  Choising." 

In  case  we  should  meet  a  hostile  ship  dose 
to  the  African  coast,  I  intended  to  Strand  our 
vessel  and  leave  her  there,  taking  the  men  with 
me  in  the  long  boats.  We  should  then  be 
ashore  in  the  enemy's  territory,  and  free  to  do 
as  we  might  deem  best.  Should  we  be  over- 
taken  on  the  northerly  side  of  the  Straits,  it 
was  my  Intention  to  nm  boldly  into  the  Perim 
harbor,  trusting  in  Heaven  for  the  outcome,  er, 
if  I  failed  in  this,  I  proposed  to  run  the  steamer 
aground,  and  venture  a  bold  attack  upon  the 
telegraph  Station  which  we  knew  was  located 
in  this  vicinity.  To  be  prepared  for  any  emer- 
gency,  the  "  Choising's"  three  largest  long  boats 
were  swimg  out,  lowered  to  the  bulwarks,  and 
made  fast.  Water,  provisions  for  eight  weeks, 
arms  and  ammunition,  besides  a  few  personal 
belongings,  were  stowed  away  in  the  boats. 


FROM  PERIM  TO  HODEIDA  loi 

An  officer  was  placed  in  command  of  each 
one  of  them,  and  a  particular  crew  designated 
for  duty  in  it.  The  only  Orders  given  to  the 
boats'  crews  were,  once  for  all:  "Obey  your 
ofl&cer." 

And  again,  as  darkness  came  on,  we  were  in 
much  uncertainty  with  regard  to  our  ship's 
Position.  Ahead  of  us  we  saw  a  group  of  small 
islands  which,  we  concluded,  must  be  the 
"Seven  Brothers"  lying  just  at  the  entrance  of 
the  Straits.  In  truth,  however,  these  were  the 
Arabian  mountains,  whose  highest  peaks  rose 
into  view  just  above  the  horizon,  a  fact  which 
we  did  not  discover  untü  we  came  in  sight  of 
the  Perim  revolving  light.  This  gave  us  a  good 
fixed  point  from  which  to  direct  our  further 
course. 

Naturally,  as  we  approached  the  Straits, 
all  hands  were  on  deck.  Everyone  was  keep- 
ing  a  Sharp  lookout,  for  our  only  hope  of  safety 
lay  in  the  keenness  of  our  Observation.  The 
ship's  lights  were  closely  screened.    The  officers 


I02  THE  "AYESHA" 

and  petty  officers  were  given  orders  to  make 
continual  roiinds  through  the  vessel  to  see  to 
it  that  not  a  single  ray  of  light  escaped  to  reveal 
our  presence,  for  the  Chinese  crew  of  the 
"Choising"  had  little  appreciation  of  the  im- 
portance  of  this  precaution. 

Whether  I  should  sail  with  or  without  lights 
had  been  a  question  to  which  I  had  given  much 
careful  thought.  If  I  cahnly  proceeded  with 
all  Hghts  showing,  just  as  any  ordinary  mer- 
chantman  would,  it  might  chance.that  none  of 
the  English  patrol  ships  would  hold  me  up,  as 
it  was  not  at  all  likely  that  so  small  a  merchant 
ship  as  the  "Choising"  would  be  regarded  with 
suspicion.  A  ship  sailing  with  screened  lights 
would,  on  the  contrary,  become  an  object  of 
suspicion  to  any  one  who  should  discover  her. 
Nevertheless,  in  the  end,  I  decided  to  have  the 
lights  screened. 

The  Strait  of  Bab-el-Mandeb  is  a  very  nar- 
row  water-way.  I  hugged  the  African  shore  as 
closely  as  possible,  to  take  advantage  of  the 


FROM  PERIM  TO  HODEIDA  103 

darker  horizon  there,  and  also  because  the  shore 
afforded  a  dark  background  for  the  ship.  But 
in  spite  of  all  this  exercise  of  caution,  we  got 
so  near  to  the  revolving  light  at  Perim  that  its 
intermittent  ray  feil  upon  us  like  a  searchlight, 
illuminating  us  for  seconds  at  a  time.  More- 
over,  we  could  see  two  English  warships  lying 
just  outside  of  Perim,  and  they  were  signaling 
to  each  other  in  Morse  code.  During  that 
night's  most  anxious  half  hour  we  muttered 
many  a  bitter  imprecation  upon  our  engine 
that  at  best  could  make  no  more  than  seven 
and  a  half  miles.  But  fortune  favored  us;  the 
Englishmen  did  not  discover  us.  Perhaps  none 
of  the  small  patrol  boats  upon  which  I  had 
reckoned  were  abroad,  for  there  was  a  stiff 
breeze  blowing,  and  the  sea  was  running  high. 
At  the  end  of  two  trying  hours  we  had  got  to 
where  we  could  consider  ourselves  as  safely 
"through." 

In  the  broader  expanse  of  the  Red  Sea  I 
kept  well  without  the  regulär  steamship  course. 


I04  THE  "AYESHA" 

and  on  the  eighth  of  January,  just  after  dark, 
we  lay  with  the  "Choising"  close  to  Hodeida. 
The  only  book  that  we  had  from  which  to  in- 
form ourselves  with  regard  to  Arabian  ways 
and  customs  was  a  "round  the  world''  guide 
book  that  would  have  answered  the  purpose  of 
directing  a  wedding  joumey  very  well.  From 
it  we  learned  that  Hodeida  is  a  large  commer- 
cial  city,  and  that  the  Hejaz  raiboad  to 
Hodeida  was  in  course  of  construction.  As 
the  book  was  some  years  old,  and  as  one  of 
my  officers  remembered  that  years  ago  he  had 
met  a  French  engineer  who  told  him  that  he 
had  been  engaged  in  the  construction  of  a  rail- 
road  to  Hodeida,  we  took  it  for  granted  that 
the  railroad  was  completed  by  this  time.  Even 
should  we  be  wrong  in  our  supposition,  we 
would  still,  in  all  likelihood,  be  able  to  get  some 
news  of  the  war,  and,  in  case  we  should  have 
to  continue  our  joumey  on  the  "Choising," 
we  would  at  least  be  able  to  secure  Charts  of 
the  Red  Sea. 


FROM  PERIM  TO  HODEIDA  105 

As  we  approached  Hodeida,  or  more  accu- 
rately  speaking,  as  we  approached  the  locality 
where  we  expected  to  find  Hodeida  —  because 
of  our  constant  lack  of  marine  charts  we  were 
never  certain  of  just  where  we  were  —  we  sud- 
denly  beheld  a  long  line  of  electric  lights  along 
the  shore.  Great  was  our  joy  at  this  first  sign 
of  a  return  to  civilization.  That  Hodeida  would 
be  provided  with  electric  lights  had  not  entered 
into  our  most  hopeful  expectations. 

"It  appears  to  be  a  very  respectable  kind  of 
place  after  all/'  was  the  opinion  expressed  on 
the  bridge.  "There  even  are  electric  lights. 
Then  surely  the  railroad  will  be  running.  I  can 
see  ourselves  Walking  into  the  central  railroad 
Station  of  Hodeida  to-morrow  morning,  and 
boarding  the  special  express.  In  a  fortnight  we 
shall  be  on  the  North  Sea  again." 

We  supposed  the  row  of  lights  we  saw  to  be 
on  the  Hodeida  dock,  for  our  "round  the  world" 
guide  book  had  told  us  that  Hodeida  is  a  sea- 
port.    As  we  came  closer  to  this  dock,  my  joy 


io6  THE  "AYESHA 


gave  way  to  apprehension,  for,  as  I  looked,  the 
lights  of  the  dock  seemed  suddenly  and  strangely 
to  move  closer  together,  an  eccentricity  which 
is  not  usual  with  lights  on  a  dock.  As  we  were 
quite  sober,  we  decided  that  it  must  be  the 
dock  that  was  at  fault.  I  therefore  gave  Orders 
to  stop  the  "Choising,"  so  that  soundings  might 
be  taken,  from  which  to  leam  how  far  we  were 
from  the  shore.  A  depth  of  forty  meters  was 
reported.  Now  we  were  evidently  only  a  few 
thousand  meters  off  from  the  supposed  dock, 
while,  according  to  the  soundings,  there  must 
be  a  distance  of  several  nautical  miles  between 
US  and  the  shore.  As  we  realized  this,  the 
dock  lost  much  of  its  attractiveness  in  our  eyes. 
It  must  be  something  eise.  I  gave  Orders: 
"Course,  to  the  south!"  and  ran  off  a  few 
nautical  miles. 

I  then  ordered  the  four  long  boats  that  had 
been  kept  in  readiness  ever  since  our  ap- 
proach  to  Perim,  to  be  lowered,  and  my  men 
got  into  them.    The  Captain  of  the  "  Choising  " 


FROM  PERIM  TO  HODEIDA  107 

received  written  Orders  to  take  his  ship  farther 
out  to  sea,  to  spend  the  next  two  days  in  the 
vicinity  of  a  given  point  outside  of  the  usual 
steamship  course,  and  on  each  of  the  succeeding 
nights  to  return  to  the  place  where  my  men  and 
I  had  left  the  ship,  and  await  us  there.  If  we 
did  not  return,  he  was  to  proceed  to  Massowa. 
My  reason  for  wishing  the  "Choising"  to  re- 
turn during  the  next  two  nights,  was  our  total 
lack  of  any  definite  knowledge  as  to  who  was 
in  control  in  South  Arabia.  Our  latest  informa- 
tion  in  regard  to  the  war  was  over  three  months 
old,  and  although  it  had  told  of  battles  between 
the  Turks  and  the  English,  the  outcome  of 
these  battles  was  unknown  to  us.  It  was  there- 
fore  quite  possible  that  Hodeida  was  now  in 
the  hands  of  the  English.  In  that  event,  it 
was  my  Intention  to  return  to  the  "Choising" 
on  one  of  the  following  nights,  and  to  con- 
tinue  our  journey  aboard  her.  The  days,  I 
meant  to  spend  somewhere  in  the  desert,  in 
hiding. 


io8  THE  "AYESHA" 

At  the  same  time,  I  arranged  for  signals  by 
rockets  to  be  given  the  "Choising"  in  case  I 
should  leam  of  the  proximity  of  hostile  ships 
that  might  prove  dangerous  to  her.  There  was 
one  special  signal  that  meant:  "Enemy's  ships 
near.  Proceed  at  once  to^Massowa/'  I  wanted 
to  avoid  exposing  the  ship  unnecessarily  to  the 
danger  of  capture  while  returning  for  us. 

Soon  the  "Choising  had  vanished  in  the 
darkness  of  the  night,  and  my  little  flotilla  of 
long  boats  was  being  vigorously  rowed  toward 
the  shore.  The  ship's  boats,  like  all  boats  that 
have  been  out  of  the  water  for  some  time,  leaked 
badly,  although  days  before  we  left  the  "  Choi- 
sing"  they  had  been  wet  both  inside  and  out, 
had  been  freshly  painted,  and  kept  half  filled 
with  water.  Our  chief  ejffort  for  the  time  being 
was  therefore  directed  toward  bailing  out  the 
boats.  As  soon  as  the  day  dawned,  all  sails 
were  set  in  the  boats  of  our  flotilla,  and  a 
goodly  regatta  in  the  direction  of  the  shore 
developed. 


FROM  PERIM  TO  HODEIDA  109 

On  OUT  supposed  dock  the  lights  were  ex- 
tinguished,  and  at  sunrise  we  discovered  that 
it  had  two  masts  and  three  smoke  Stacks,  car- 
ried  guns,  and  bore  the  name  of  "Desaix."  It 
was  a  French  armored  cruiser.  The  other  part 
of  the  dock  revealed  itself  to  be  an  Italian 
ship  called  "Juliana."  We  had  little  desire 
to  tie  up  at  this  dock,  and  so  directed  our 
course  toward  land. 

Our  Chief  concern  now  was  that  we  might  be 
discovered  by  the  armored  cruiser  that  was 
not  far  distant.  The  rigging  of  one  of  my  boats 
was  Chinese,  of  the  other  three,  German.  Four 
gray  boats  rigged  in  this  extraordinary  fashion 
could  not  fail  to  attract  attention.  When  we 
had  come  close  enough  to  the  shore,  I  anchored, 
and  had  the  other  three  boats  come  alongside 
and  made  fast.  Quickly  our  masts  and  rigging 
disappeared,  and  we  held  a  consultation  with 
regard  to  what  it  was  now  best  to  do.  The 
"Choising"  was  gone.  Behind  us  lay  the 
French  armored  cruiser  and  the  ItaHan  vessel. 


HO  THE  "AYESHA" 

What  attitude  Italy  had  assumed  toward  the 
war  by  this  time  was  wholly  unknown  to  me. 
Before  us  lay  the  land  with  the  surf  beating 
between  us  and  it.  The  indications  were  that 
this  part  of  Arabia  was  now  in  the  hands  of 
the  French.  To  remain  in  the  boats  was  not 
possible,  as,  in  the  course  of  the  day,  we  would 
surely  be  seen  by  the  Frenchmen  who  were  now 
enjoying  an  early  moming  nap  aboard  the 
armored  cruiser.  My  Orders  therefore  were: 
"PuU  for  the  shore." 

Fortunately  our  heavily  laden  boats  got 
through  the  siurf  without  either  capsizing  or 
filling.  On  our  way  to  the  shore  we  met  a 
small  Arabian  boat  whose  sole  occupant,  an 
Arab,  was  engaged  in  fishing,  and  who  in  re- 
sponse to  our  questions  gave  us  the  comforting 
inf ormation  that  Hodeida  was  now  in  the  hands 
of  the  French.  The  mistake  may  be  ascribed 
to  the  fact  that  although  we  spoke  excellent 
German,  and  the  Arab  had  a  fluent  command 
of  Arabic,  we  nevertheiess  failed  to  under- 


FROM  PERIM  TO  HODEIDA  iii 

Stand  each  other.  Just  after  our  boats  had 
passed  through  the  surf  and  were  about  800 
meters  off  shore,  they  ran  aground.  All  our 
belongings  had  therefore  to  be  carried  all 
this  distance  to  land,  and  through  water  that 
was  knee  deep.  Rafts  were  quickly  put  to- 
gether  out  of  the  masts,  a  few  boards,  some 
Straps,  Kfe  preservers,  and  the  like.  On  them 
we  placed  our  machine  guns,  the  ammunition, 
etc.,  so  that  the  transportation  might  be  made 
as  rapidly  as  possible. 

First  of  all,  the  machine  guns  were  sent  ashore. 
I  waded  to  land  along  with  them.  On  the  beach 
an  Arab  was  splashing  about  in  the  water.  Un- 
armed,  and  with  every  expression  of  amiability 
and  friendliness  of  which  I  am  capable,  I  ap- 
proached  him  to  off  er  the  hand  of  friendship. 
He  misunderstood  me,  however,  and  departed. 
A  second  Arab,  who  had  appeared  in  the  mean- 
time,  was  quite  as  unresponsive  to  my  offers 
of  friendship. 

While  I  was  employed  in  having  the  rest  of 


112  THE  "AYESHA" 

OUT  things  put  ashore,  a  man  in  uniform,  and 
mounted  on  a  hedjin,  or  riding  camel,  came 
toward  me.  The  uniform  was  blue  and  red. 
Around  his  head  a  cloth  was  wound.  To  what 
country  the  uniform  belonged,  I  had  not  the 
least  idea.  It  might  easily  have  been  a  French 
one.  This  man  had  the  unpleasant  distinction 
of  being  armed.  When  he  had  come  to  within 
600  meters  of  us,  he  stopped,  cocked  his  rifle, 
and  stood  watching  us  at  our  work.  Carrying 
no  arms  of  any  kind,  I  went  toward  him,  beck- 
oned  to  him,  called  to  him,  and  tried  in  every 
way  possible  to  make  him  understand  that  I 
wished  to  speak  with  him.  He  remained  im- 
movable  imtil  I  had  come  to  within  two  hun- 
dred meters  of  him;  then  he  raised  his  rifle  and 
aimed  it  at  me.  I  stood  still.  He  lowered  his 
rifle,  whereupon  I  moved  a  few  Steps  nearer. 
Again  he  pointed  his  rifle  at  me.  Again  I 
stopped,  and  he  dropped  his  rifle.  Again  I 
took  a  few  Steps  forward,  and  again  he  aimed 
at  me.    I  stopped  again,  and  so  the  teasing 


FROM  PERIM  TO  HODEIDA  113 

Performance  went  on  for  several  minutes,  until 
I  had  reached  a  point  not  more  than  fif  ty  meters 
distant  from  him.  Then  his  rifle  was  not  again 
lowered.  Consequently  I  remained  Standing 
for  some  time.  An  understanding  by  way  of 
conversation  was  out  of  the  question  with  him. 
He  had  not  understood  one  of  my  efforts  at 
speech.  He  made  a  sign,  however,  which 
could  not  be  misinterpreted,  and  by  which  he 
gave  me  to  understand  that  I  was  to  remain 
with  my  men  where  we  were.  After  I  had 
assured  him,  as  best  I  could,  that  we  had  no 
thought  of  leaving,  and  that  we  were  dehghted 
to  be  there,  I  returned  to  my  men.  He  mounted 
his  camel  and  disappeared  at  a  rapid  pace  in  the 
direction  of  Hodeida,  the  white  houses  of  which 
we  could  but  just  distinguish  in  the  far  distance. 
It  now  behooved  us  to  make  all  haste  pos- 
sible,  for  in  three  or  four  hours  the  French  garri- 
son  might  be  upon  us.  So  we  worked  with  all 
our  might  to  get  the  things  ashore,  and  so  be 
able  to  Start  upon  our  march  into  the  desert. 


114  THE  "AYESHA" 

It  was  my  intention  to  remain  in  the  desert 
during  the  day,  and  then  at  night  to  send  one 
of  my  oflScers  to  Hodeida  to  get  information. 
Should  this  prove  unfavorable,  I  purposed  to 
spend  the  following  day  also  in  the  desert,  and 
then,  on  the  next  night,  to  get  back  to  where 
the  "Choising"  would  pick  us  up,  and  to  pro- 
ceed  with  her,  trusting  to  luck  for  the  future. 
Just  as  we  were  about  to  set  off  on  onr 
march,  there  poured  forth  from  behind  the  low 
sand  hüls  of  the  desert  a  swarm  of  Bedouins,  — 
at  first  about  eighty  in  number,  then  a  hundred 
or  more,  all  armed.  They  spread  out  into  a 
sort  of  skirmishing  line,  and  then  disappeared 
behind  the  sand  dunes  along  the  beach.  Upon 
seeing  this,  we;  too,  formed  a  skirmishing  line, 
and  made  ready  for  a  fight.  I  waited  for  the 
first  shot  to  come  from  the  other  side.  After 
a  few  moments  there  came  out  from  among  our 
opponents  twelve  imarmed  men.  They  ap- 
proached  us  slowly,  all  the  while  beckoning  with 
their  arms.    Laying  aside  my  sword  and  pistol, 


FROM  PERIM  TO  HODEIDA  115 

I  went  toward  them.  Midway  between  the 
two  lines  we  met.  Immediately  a  lively  con- 
versation  developed,  with  the  unfortunate  dis- 
advantage,  however,  that  neither  party  under- 
stood  the  other.  The  Bedouins  shouted  at  me, 
gesticulated  violently  with  the  vehemence  pe- 
culiar  to  southern  races,  and  made  the  most 
remarkable  signs,  all  of  which  I  failed  to  under- 
stand.  My  own  attempt  to  speak  to  them  in 
German,  English,  French,  and  Malay  was  of 
as  little  avail. 

I  then  had  our  war  flag,  which  we  had  with  us, 
brought  out,  and  I  called  attention  in  the  most 
explicit  manner  to  the  red,  white,  and  black,  to 
the  iron  cross,  to  the  eagle.  They  did  not 
understand  this  either.  As  I  had  thought  it 
quite  likely  that  the  people  of  some  of  the 
coast  regions  where  we  might  be  forced  to  land 
would  be  unacquainted  with  the  German  war 
flag,  I  had  taken  the  flag  of  our  merchant 
marine  with  me  also.  It  was  now  produced 
and  displayed  to  the  Arabs,  but  this,  too,  they 


ii6  THE  "AYESHA" 

did  not  recognize.  Then  we  pointed  to  the 
French  armored  cruiser  lying  at  anchor  in  the 
roadstead,  shook  our  fists  at  it  with  the  most 
extravagant  gestures,  and  all  together  roared, 
"Boom!    Boom!    Boom!" 

The  only  response  we  received  was  a  retum 
to  their  crazy  signs.  One  of  these  was  to  hold 
one  hand  to  the  forehead,  as  though  to  shade 
the  eyes,  and  then  wag  the  head  violently 
from  side  to  side.  Another  was  to  pass  two 
fingers  over  the  face,  either  up  or  down.  A 
third  consisted  in  rubbing  the  two  extended 
forefingers  together,  and  staring  at  us  idiot- 
ically  the  while.  This  last  one  we  thought  we 
understood.  We  interpreted  it  in  this  way: 
Two  are  rubbing  against  each  other,  which 
means,  "  We  are  enemies."  With  all  the  means 
in  our  power  we  tried  to  assure  them  that 
quite  the  reverse  was  true.  Had  we  been 
understood,  our  Situation  would  hardly  have 
been  improved  by  this  assurance,  for  it  de- 
veloped  later  that  this  sign  meant,  "We  are 


FROM  PERIM  TO  HODEIDA  117 

friends,"  instead  of,  "We  are  enemies."  As  a 
last  resort,  we  produced  a  gold  piece.  To  this 
means  of  intercourse  the  Arabians  were  very 
susceptible  from  the  outset.  We  pointed  at 
the  eagle,  but  it  did  not  seem  to  suggest  any- 
thing  to  them.  Then  I  pointed  at  the  head  of 
the  Kaiser.  This  met  with  instant  response, 
and  aroused  the  liveliest  interest.  Among 
their  ejaculations  we  distinguished  the  word, 
"Aleman."  This  was  understood  on  our  part, 
for  it  could  mean  nothing  other  than  "Ger- 
man."  Instantly,  and  with  ready  adaptability 
to  the  customs  of  the  country,  we  all  shouted 
at  the  top  of  our  voices,  "Alemanl  Aleman!" 
And  with  this,  the  way  to  a  mutual  iinder- 
standing  was  opened. 

A  tremendous  and  enthusiastic  roar  of  re- 
sponse instantly  arose  among  the  Arabs.  Their 
rifles  were  stacked,  and  the  whole  Company 
gathered  about  us,  screaming  and  shouting, 
and  tumbling  over  one  another  in  a  wild 
scramble  to  carry  our  luggage  for  us,  to  drag 


ii8  THE  ^'AYESHA" 

the  machine  giins,  and  to  do  us  other  like 
Service.  In  a  tumult  of  noise  the  procession 
set  out  in  the  direction  of  Hodeida.  One  of 
our  newly  acquired  brethren  could  even  speak 
a  few  words  of  English,  and  from  him  I  leamed 
that  Hodeida  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Turks. 

Our  onward  march  was  the  occasion  for  still 
further  excitement.  As  destitute  of  people  as 
the  desert  through  which  we  were  passing 
seemed  to  be,  it  nevertheless  harbored  a 
countless  number  of  people.  In  this  land, 
where  every  boy  of  twelve  carries  a  rifle  and  is 
regarded  as  a  warrior,  it  did  not  take  long  for 
another  crowd  of  about  a  hundred  Bedouins 
to  gather  and  come  out  to  meet  us,  aU  eager, 
in  the  assumption  that  we  were  enemies,  to 
have  a  shot  at  us.  With  much  excited  yelling, 
our  hundred  attendants  endeavored  to  con- 
vince  their  approaching  hundred  colleagues 
that  we  were  friends.  When  they  had  been 
persuaded  that  such  was  the  case,  we  continued 
on  our  march  with  a  retinue  of  two  hundred, 


FROM   PERIM   TO   HODEIDA  119 

only  to  be  met,  a  half  hour  later,  by  two  hiin- 
dred  more  who  were  Coming  to  attack  us,  and 
who,  in  turn,  had  to  be  convinced  by  our  escort 
of  two  hundred,  that  we  were  friends. 

These  explanations  always  entailed  a  con- 
siderable  loss  of  time,  and  so  it  had  got  to  be 
midday,  and  we  were  still  on  the  way.  We 
had  had  nothing  to  eat  since  the  evening  be- 
fore,  had  worked  hard  and  continuously,  and 
had  taken  a  long  tramp  through  the  burning 
sand  at  a  time  of  day  when,  under  ordinary 
circumstances,  even  to  ride  abroad  is  avoided. 
All  told,  there  were  probably  eight  hundred 
Bedouins  moving  along  with  us.  They  had  at 
last  understood  that  we  were  Germans,  and 
now  carried  on  quite  a  variety  show  as  they 
went  along  with  us,  dancing  and  singing, 
yelling  and  shooting  off  their  rifles,  and  carry- 
ing  on  all  sorts  of  fantastic  Performances. 

In  the  meantime,  the  first  Turkish  offi- 
cers  from  Hodeida  had  arrived,  among  them 
several  who  could  speak  German.    Our  mutual 


I20  THE  "AYESHA" 

joy  at  meeting  comrades  in  arms  was  great. 
The  whole  Turkish  garrison  of  Hodeida  was 
marching  out  against  us  in  the  belief  that  a 
detachment  of  the  enemy  was  attempting  a 
landing.  Cannons  even  had  been  dragged  along 
to  assail  us. 

Surrounded  by  the  Turkish  troops,  and  with 
banners  flying,  we  made  our  entry  into  Hodeida. 
The  people  filled  the  streets  and  shouted  their 
welcome  at  us,  and  flattered  us  with  loud  cries 
of  approval  and  a  vigorous  clapping  of  hands 
at  the  dose  of  every  marching  song  we  sang  as 
we  moved  along. 

Hastily  prepared  barracks  were  soon  made 
ready  for  my  men.  For  the  officers,  a  house  in 
the  town  was  provided.  And  so,  for  the  pres- 
ent,  we  were  comfortable.  From  the  Windows 
of  our  house  we  could  see  the  French  armored 
cruiser  peacefully  and  dreamily  rocking  upon 
the  blue  water  a  few  miles  off. 


Chapter  X 
ON  TO  SANAA 

At  5  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  ninth  of 
January,  my  men  were  all  settled  in  their 
quarters,  and  I  found  myself  free  to  consult 
with  the  heads  of  the  civil  and  military  au- 
thorities  at  Hodeida  with  regard  to  my  future 
course.  There  were  two  ways  of  getting  back 
to  Germany  open  to  me:  the  one,  overland, 
and  the  other,  to  continue  on  my  way  by  sea. 
Marine  charts  I  could  obtain  in  Hodeida.  His 
Excellency,  the  Mutessarif  of  Hodeida,  whose 
name  was  Raghib,  and  the  colonel  of  the  regi- 
ment,  also  named  Raghib,  sat  together  in  con- 
sultation  with  me  that  afternoon. 

I  leamed  at  once,  and  much  to  my  regret, 
that  the  railroad  did  not  exist.  At  the  same 
time  I  received  information  with  regard  to  the 
English  warships  then  in  the  Red  Sea.    These 


122  THE  "AYESHA" 

consisted  chiefly  of  a  number  of  gunboats  and 
auxiliary  cruisers,  that  could  be  seen  almost 
daily  to  the  northward  of  Hodeida,  and  that 
were  maintaining  a  sort  of  blockade  line.  To 
continue  on  the  "Choismg"  iinder  these  cir- 
ciunstances  was  very  nearly  a  hopeless  under- 
taking,  especially  so  in  consideration  of  the 
probability  that  spies  would  very  soon  make 
cur  presence  in  Hodeida  known  abroad.  The 
French  iron-clad  would  surely  hear  of  it,  and 
could  at  once  participate  in  the  search  for  our 
ship,  while  her  wireless  apparatus  could  flash 
Information  of  us  to  all  the  English  and  French 
war  vessels  in  the  vicinity.  In  waters  as  nar- 
row  as  the  Red  Sea  is,  it  would  then  be  quite 
impossible  for  the  "Choising/*  with  a  speed  of 
but  seven  miles,  to  elude  her  pursuers. 

The  Turkish  authorities  assured  me,  more- 
over,  that  I  would  find  the  overland  route  to 
the  north  both  safe  and  unobstructed,  although 
it  would  necessarily  entail  some  loss  of  time. 
Preparations  for  the  journey  by  land  would  re- 


ON  TO  SANAA  123 

quire  about  a  fortnight;  then  we  could  start  on 
our  march,  and,  in  all  likelihood,  would  reach 
the  railroad  in  about  two  months. 

Wben  this  was  fully  settled,  I  waited  for  the 
darkness  to  come,  and  then,  from  the  roof  of 
our  house,  three  times  I  sent  off  the  signal 
with  fire  balls,  as  agreed  upon,  to  the  waiting 
"Choising":  "Caution!  Hostile  ships!  Pro- 
ceed  at  once  to  Massowa."  Later  we  learned 
that  the  "Choising"  had  reached  her  destina- 
tion  in  safety. 

Whereas  the  health  of  my  men  had  been 
excellent  up  to  this  time,  they  now  began  to 
show  the  effects  of  the  extreme  climate.  In 
Hodeida  the  days  were  terribly  hot,  the  nights 
very  cool.  The  men  of  our  crew  slept  in  the 
Turkish  barracks  along  with  the  soldiers  of  the 
Turkish  garrison. 

In  Arabia  houses  and  barracks  are  con- 
structed  very  differently  from  those  in  our 
own  climate.  The  barracks  provided  for  my 
men  consisted  of  a  framework  of  thin  boards 


124  THE  "AYESHA" 

covered  with  matting  and  straw.  They  slept 
side  by  side  on  a  sort  of  divan,  the  cushions 
of  which  were  stuffed  with  straw.  The  water 
especially  was  unwholesome,  and  had  to  be 
boiled  to  make  it  fit  to  drink.  As  a  preventive 
measure  against  malarial  infection,  we  had  to 
take  quinine  continuously.  But  in  spite  of  all 
our  precaution,  cases  of  dysentery  and  malaria 
soon  began  to  develop  among  us.  I  therefore 
decided  to  take  my  men  into  the  mountains. 
Sanaa,  which  is  the  chief  city  of  Yemen,  was 
recommended  to  me  as  being  a  very  healthful 
place,  the  water  conditions  good,  and  the  cli- 
mate  closely  resembling  that  of  Europe.  Since 
our  journey  overland  lay  by  way  of  Sanaa,  it 
was  quite  as  well  to  await  the  completion  of 
our  preparations  for  it  at  that  place  as  at  Ho- 
deida.  I  decided  therefore  to  Start  on  our 
march  to  Sanaa  on  the  Kaiser^s  birthday. 

Before  leaving  Hodeida  we  celebrated  the 
anniversary  of  our  Emperor^s  birth  by  cere- 
monies  in  which  the  entire  Turkish  garrison 


ON  TO  SANAA  125 

participated,  as  did  also  the  entire  Turko- 
Arabian  populace,  in  their  own  peculiarly 
enthusiastic  fashion.  I  had  in  the  meantime 
succeeded  in  procuring  new  clothes  for  my  men. 
Although  this,  their  latest  uniform,  did  not  ex- 
actly  conform  to  home  regulations,—  especially 
the  tropical  hat  designed  by  myself  after  the 
pattern  of  the  hats  worn  by  the  colonial  troops, 
and  decorated  with  a  large  cockade  in  red,  white, 
and  black,  the  like  of  which,  it  is  safe  to  say, 
had  never  before  been  seen  in  the  navy, — 
nevertheless  the  men  presented  a  very  trim 
appearance,  and  made  an  excellent  impression. 
The  entire  garrison  marched  to  the  parade 
Square  for  the  ceremony.  My  little  Company 
of  men  stood  in  the  middle,  surrounded  by  the 
Turkish  troops.  Together  with  the  Turkish 
Commander,  I  passed  the  combined  troops  in 
review;  I  then  made  a  speech  in  German  in 
honor  of  the  Kaiser,  and  ended  with  three 
cheers  for  him,  in  which  our  Turkish  comrades 
in  arms  joined  with  enthusiasm.    After  the 


126  THE  "AYESHA" 

cheers  for  oiir  Emperor  had  been  given,  the 
Turkish  Commander  called  for  three  cheers  for 
the  Sultan.  A  parade  march  by  the  combined 
troops  closed  the  ceremonies.  With  band  play- 
ing  and  banners  flying,  my  men  then  marched 
off  to  a  f east  —  mutton  and  rice  —  spread  for 
them  in  the  barracks.  The  officers  were  in- 
vited  by  the  heads  of  the  local  authorities  to 
a  banquet  —  mutton  and  rice  —  at  the  palace 
of  the  mayor  of  Hodeida.  Here,  also,  the 
heartiest  good  will  was  expressed  in  the  toasts 
that  were  exchanged.  At  five  o'clock  in  the 
aftemoon  we  started  on  our  march  to  Sanaa. 

In  the  Arabian  desert  it  is  only  possible  to 
travel  at  night,  as  the  heat  of  the  day  is  too 
intense  to  be  bome  by  either  man  or  beast. 
Marching  on  foot  is  out  of  the  question  even 
at  night.  Everybody  rides.  We  also  had  to 
follow  this  custom  until  we  reached  the  foot 
of  the  moimtains. 

The  animals  placed  at  our  disposal  were 
horses,  mules,  and  donkeys.    Our  baggage  was 


ON  TO  SANAA  127 

transported  by  means  of  a  special  caravan  of 
cameis.  It  was  no  light  task  to  keep  this  newly 
organized  Company  together  at  the  Start,  for 
this  was  the  first  time  that  some  of  my  blue- 
jackets  had  ever  been  astride  of  a  four-footed 
creature.  The  fun  began  at  once,  with  the 
mounting,  and  there  were  some  very  ludicrous 
scenes.  Some  of  the  men  took  advantage  of 
the  time  before  we  started  on  the  march,  to 
practise  rapid  dismounting,  many  of  them  tak- 
ing  their  saddles  along  with  them  in  the 
attempt.  However,  relations  of  friendship  suf- 
ficient  to  insure  against  the  occurrence  of  any 
serious  misunderstanding  had  soon  been  estab- 
lished  between  each  rider  and  his  mount,  and 
the  caravan  was  ready  to  Start.  We  were 
escorted  for  some  distance  by  the  Turkish 
officers  and  garrison. 

Soon  Hodeida  was  left  behind  us  in  the  dis- 
tance, and  we  were  in  the  heart  of  the  desert. 
As  far  as  the  eye  conld  reach,  there  was  nothing 
but  sand,  —  low  flat  sand  hills  grown  over  with 


128  THE  "AYESHA" 

dry  grass.  Roads,  of  course,  there  were  none; 
tracks  in  the  sand,  made  by  the  passing  of 
other  Caravans,  —  that  was  all.  Our  march 
was  frequently  intermpted  by  a  halt,  for  in 
the  beginning  especially,  it  happened  every 
httle  while  that  one  of  the  men  devoted  an 
over-amount  of  energy  to  guiding  and  master- 
ing  his  steed,  and  the  ensuing  duel  usually 
came  off  to  the  humiliation  of  the  rider.  The 
next  thing  to  be  done  then,  was  to  catch  the 
riderless  beast  that  was  making  the  most  of  its 
freedom,  a  duty  which  usually  devolved  upon 
the  officers,  as  they  were  the  only  ones  who 
could  ride.  With  the  donkeys  and  the  mules 
this  was  no  small  undertaking.  Hardly  had  we 
come  up  to  one  of  these  animals  when  it  would 
tum  and  kick  out  vigorously  with  its  hind  legs, 
and  it  would  then  require  a  resort  to  all  the 
diplomacy  and  cunning  at  our  command  to  get 
hold  of  it  again.  That  these  diversions  should 
not  cause  us  too  great  a  loss  of  time,  one  of  the 
officers  always  rode  at  the  rear  end  of  the  cara- 


ON  TO  SANAA  129 

van  to  round  up  the  riderless  steeds,  and  the 
steedless  riders,  and  form  them  into  a  sort  of 
rear  guard. 

As  the  nights  were  clear  and  bright  with 
moonlight,  we  found  our  way  very  easily.  We 
rode  the  whole  night  through,  stopping  only 
occasionally  for  a  half  hour's  rest.  Then  we 
all  flung  ourselves  down  in  the  sand,  just  where 
we  happened  to  be,  slung  our  reins  around  one 
arm,  or  tied  them  to  one  of  our  legs,  and  so 
found  rest  for  our  weary  bodies,  weary  from 
the  strain  of  the  long  continued  ride. 

The  region  through  which  we  were  traveling 
was  not  considered  a  wholly  safe  one.  Robbery 
and  attacks  upon  small  caravans  were  the  order 
of  the  day.  As  early  as  the  second  night  out,  we 
had  an  experience  of  this  kind  ourselves.  Sud- 
denly,  in  the  moonlight,  there  appeared  to  one 
side  of  our  road  a  dozen  or  more  men  mounted 
on  cameis.  The  Turkish  gendarmes  that  had 
been  sent  with  us  as  an  escort  and  to  guide 
US  on  the  way,  declared  them  to  be  robbers, 


I30  THE  "AYESHA'^ 

and  immediately  got  their  rifles  ready  to  shoot. 
When  the  men  on  the  cameis  saw  the  size  of 
our  Caravan,  they  vanished  among  the  sand  hüls 
quite  as  suddenly  as  they  had  appeared. 

On  the  third  day  we  had  completed  the 
joumey  across  the  broad  strip  of  desert  which 
lies  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  and  we  were 
now  at  the  entrance  into  the  mountain  region. 
Qnite  abruptly,  almost  perpendicularly,  the 
mountains  rise  from  out  the  flat  desert  country, 
and  attain  a  height  of  some  3600  meters.  The 
route  now  became  more  difficult.  Over  loose 
stones,  through  dr^  beds  of  rivers  and  brooks, 
we  climbed  slowly  upward.  At  last  we  were 
again  surrounded  by  trees  and  bushes,  and  the 
Vegetation  became  quite  luxuriant.  On  many 
of  the  highest  peaks  of  the  mountains  Arab 
Castles  were  to  be  seen.  The  Arabs  of  this 
region  seem  to  delight  in  placing  their  dwell- 
ings  on  as  great  and  inaccessible  a  height  as 
possible.  At  every  point  where  a  steep  cliff 
or  a  narrow  defile  makes  the  upward  way  a 


ON  TO  SANAA  131 

difficult  one,  some  Arab  had  built  him  a  Castle, 
frequently  large  and  imposing  in  appearance, 
a  veritable  little  fortress  in  itself.  It  was  al- 
most  as  though  we  had  suddenly  been  trans- 
ported  back  into  the  Middle  Ages. 

The  people  were  very  friendly,  and  we  met 
with  a  pleasant  greeting  everywhere.  Our 
periods  of  rest  were  usually  spent  in  the  cara- 
vansaries  provided  for  the  Turkish  troops.  For 
some  days  our  road  lay  through  a  picturesque 
mountain  region,  and  then  brought  us  directly 
in  front  of  a  lofty  mountain  ridge  that  seemed 
to  block  our  way  completely,  so  that  we  did 
not  know  which  way  to  turn.  It  was  a  steep, 
well  nigh  perpendicular  wall  of  rock.  A  Serpen- 
tine path,  most  difficult  to  climb,  brought  us 
to  the  summit  of  the  ridge,  after  hours  of  exer- 
tion.  It  was  a  road  by  no  means  free  from 
danger.  On  the  one  side  of  us  the  wall  of  rock 
rose  straight  up;  on  the  other  side  it  dropped 
straight  down.  A  road,  in  the  ordinary  sense 
of  the  Word,  it  really  was  not.    It  was  no 


132  THE  "AYESHA" 

more  than  a  bridle  path  wom  into  the  rock  by 
many  long  years  of  travel,  often  blocked  by  a 
great  boulder,  and  made  dangerous  with  many 
rolling  stones. 

The  pack  animals  showed  a  wonderfnl  ability 
and  power  of  endurance.  Often  we  came  to 
places  so  dangerous  that  I  gave  orders  to  dis- 
mount,  and  lead  the  animals.  As  a  whole, 
however,  the  men  had  come  to  be  quite  good 
riders  by  this  time.  We  bought  eggs  and  milk 
on  the  way  whenever  we  had  an  opportunity  to 
do  so.  We  carried  our  cooking  Utensils  with 
US  on  one  of  the  animals.  An  officer,  the  cook, 
and  another  man  always  preceded  the  caravan, 
as  a  small  number  of  men  can  travel  faster  than 
a  larger  Company.  In  this  way  our  meals  were 
always  ready  for  us  when  we  arrived  at  the  ap- 
pointed  place.  This  was  a  distinct  advantage 
for  the  men,  for  the  joumey  was  a  very 
fatiguing  one,  and  every  hoiu:  of  sleep  was  of 
importance. 

I  had  arranged  for  a  longer  halt  to  be  made 


VIEW   OF   HODEIDA 


CROSSING   THE   DESERT 


ON  TO  SANAA  133 

at  Menakha.  This  is  a  small  town  situated  on 
the  highest  point  of  the  principal  mountain 
ridge.  From  thence  the  road  winds  gradually 
downward  until  it  reaches  an  extensive  plateau 
on  which  Sanaa  is  located.  In  Menakha  we 
were  given  a  pleasant  welcome  by  both  the 
Turkish  troops  and  the  people.  At  a  point 
some  hours  distant  from  the  little  town,  we 
foimd  the  commandant,  together  with  his  corps 
of_officers  and  the  troops,  awaiting  us.  A 
crowd  of  several  hundred  people  had  come  with 
them.  Together  with  the  Turkish  soldiery,  we 
covered  the  last  part  of  the  way  to  Menakha, 
while  before  us  went  the  great  crowd  of  pic- 
turesquely  dressed  Arabs  carrying  on  a  sort  of 
Performance,  and  dancing  to  the  accompani- 
ment  of  a  peculiar  kind  of  song. 

Excellent  provision  had  been  made  for  us  at 
Menakha.  On  account  of  the  weather  condi- 
tions  here,  the  buildings  are  all  of  stone.  My 
men  found  large  barracks  awaiting  them  in 
which  every  comfort  had  been  provided,  and 


134  THE  "AYESHA" 

where  an  abundant  and  appetizing  meal  was 
in  readiness.  For  the  officers,  accommodations 
had  been  prepared  in  the  hotel  of  the  town,  the 
only  hotel  that  I  ever  saw  in  Arabia.  It  could 
even  boast  of  real  beds.  So  far  we  had  slept 
on  "cursis,"  which  consist  of  a  wooden  frame- 
work  filled  in  with  a  matting  of  bast.  Menakha 
lies  at  a  height  of  about  3400  meters,  and  we 
often  saw  the  clouds  below  us.  The  days  were 
cool,  and  the  nights  were  bitterly  cold. 

We  remained  in  Menakha  for  two  days.  I 
took  advantage  of  this  time  to  visit  a  number 
of  the  Arab  dignitaries  in  their  homes.  The 
rooms  in  all  Arab  houses  are  white  throughout, 
while  the  Windows  are  set  with  bright  colored 
glass  —  blue,  red,  and  yellow.  Along  the  walls 
are  low  comfortable  divans  and  cushions.  On 
the  carpet,  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  Stands 
a  large  brass  table  on  which  are  the  nargilehs.^ 
According  to  the  customs  of  the  country,  we 
were  always  offered  a  cup  of  Mocha  on  these 
^  Oriental  water  pipes. 


ON  TO  SANAA  135 


occasions,  and  we  spent  many  a  pleasant  hour 
Smoking  and  chatting  as  best  we  could  with 
our  Arab  hosts. 

From  Menakha  our  way  lay  downward  again. 
The  Turks  were  improving  the  condition  of 
their  roadways  here,  and  for  some  distance  from 
the  town  we  followed  a  fine,  broad  and  newly 
made  road  leading  down  into  the  Valley,  a 
highway  that  compared  favorably  with  any  in 
Europe.  Our  journey  now  took  us  through 
some  wonderful  mountain  scenery.  To  see 
cameis  grazing  by  the  wayside,  nibbling  at  the 
tops  of  low  trees,  never  ceased  to  be  a  marvelous 
sight  to  US.  Occasionally,  too,  we  caught  a 
glimpse  of  a  lot  of  baboons,  but  never  got  a 
shot  at  one  of  them,  as  often  as  we  tried  it. 
By  this  time  the  horsemanship  of  my  troop 
had  improved  to  such  a  degree  that  we  could 
maintain  a  very  respectable  formation,  and 
now  and  again  could  even  ride  at  an  easy 
trot. 

The  seventh  day  of  cur  journey  found  us 


136  THE  "AYESHA" 

approaching  the  capital  city.  From  the  heights, 
on  our  way  through  the  passes,  we  could  look 
down  upon  a  wide  and  fruitful  plateau,  sprinkled 
with  many  villages  and  towns,  among  which 
Sanaa  could  readily  be  distinguished  by  its 
size.  Turkish  officers  had  ridden  out  to  meet 
US.  Just  outside  of  the  city  the  whole  garrison 
stood  Hned  up,  and  received  us  with  bands 
playing  gaily.  "Deutschland,  Deutschland 
ueber  Alles"  greeted  our  ears.  The  heads  of 
the  civil  and  military  authorities  came  on 
horseback  or  in  carriages.  The  people  also 
showed  a  lively  interest  in  our  arrival.  Even 
the  French  consul,  who  was  being  detained  in 
the  city  as  a  measure  of  retaUation,  appeared 
on  the  balcony  of  his  house.  We  had  come  in 
contact  with  his  English  colleague  on  our  way 
hither,  although  without  meeting  him  face  to 
face.  It  must  have  given  him  a  shock  of  sur- 
prise  suddenly  to  hear  "The  Watch  on  the 
Rhine''  sung  in  his  home  in  the  heart  of  the 
Arabian  mountains. 


ON  TO  SANAA  137 

Unfortunately  Sanaa  was  not  as  healthful 
a  place  as  we  had  hoped  to  find  it.  Owing 
to  its  great  altitude  it  is  very  cold  there 
even  during  the  daytime.  It  takes  some 
time  to  get  accustomed  to  the  climate. 
A  few  days  after  our  arrival,  eighty  per 
Cent  of  my  men  were  sick  with  the  fever, 
and  unfit  to  continue  on  the  march.  We 
suffered  especially  with  sudden  and  severe 
attacks  of  cramps  in  the  stomach,  and  with 
colds. 

The  city  of  Sanaa  is  a  most  interesting  one. 
It  is  divided  into  three  sections,  —  the  Jewish, 
the  Arab,  and  the  Turkish  quarters.  The  city 
is  entirely  surrounded  by  brick  walls,  and  is  so 
built  as  to  form  a  fortress.  Within  this  for- 
tress  the  three  quarters  of  the  town  constitute 
three  distinct  fortresses,  each  enclosed  within 
its  own  wall,  and  within  each  of  these,  every 
individual  home  is  itself  a  distinct  little  fortress. 
All  the  streets  and  roads  are  enclosed  within 
high  walls,  and  are  so  laid  out  that,  like  our 


138  THE  "AYESHA" 

trenches,  they  can  be  swept  throughout  their 
entire  length  by  rifle  fire  from  certain  vantage 
points.  The  reason  for  building  the  towns  in 
this  peculiar  f ashion  is  to  be  found  in  the  very 
unsafe  conditions  that  prevail.  Yemen  has 
always  had  the  reputation  of  being  the  most 
turbulent  of  the  Turkish  provinces,  and  in 
past  years  violent  encounters  between  the 
Arabs  and  the  Turks  were  the  order  of  the  day. 
Frequently  these  were  of  so  serious  a  nature 
that  the  towns  were  besieged  by  garrisons. 
Sanaa,  also,  had  been  starved  into  surrender 
to  the  Arabs  only  a  decade  ago.  Since  that 
time,  however,  peace  and  quiet  have  reigned  in 
the  land. 

After  a  fortnight  spent  in  Sanaa,  we  learned 
that  the  difficulties  of  the  joumey  overland 
were  so  great,  that,  after  all,  it  would  be  im- 
possible  for  me  to  get  my  men  safely  through 
by  this  route.  The  sickness  among  them  com- 
pelled  me  to  remain  another  fortnight  in  idle- 
ness.     By  that  time,  though  still  weak,  the 


ON  TO  SANAA  139 


sick  had  so  far  recovered  as  to  be  able  to  ride 
their  animals. 

So  we  Started  on  our  retum  joumey  to 
Hodeida,  there  again  to  entrust  ourselves  to  the 
sea. 


Chapter  XI 
SEIPWRECK 

OuR  return  to  Sanaa  was  accomplished  in 
the  same  manner  as  we  had  traveled  thither, 
and  without  hindrance  of  any  kind.  In  order 
to  make  arrangements  for  onr  onward  joumey 
by  sea,  I  had  taken  a  few  of  my  men  with  me 
and  hurried  on  ahead  of  the  caravan.  In  this 
way  I  succeded  in  getting  to  Hodeida  a  day 
and  a  half  ahead  of  the  others.  It  took  the 
caravan  eight  days  to  get  there.  To  be  sure, 
our  Httle  advance  guard  had  spent  both  day 
and  night  in  the  saddle,  the  only  halts  being 
made  when  we  changed  animals. 

As  the  "Choising''  had  been  sent  on,  and 
there  was  nothing  in  the  way  of  steamboats  to 
be  had  at  Hodeida,  there  was  but  one  thing 
left  for  US  to  do, —  to  continue  our  joumey  in 
zambuks.     A  zambxik  is  a  small  sailboat  much 


SfflPWRECK  141 

in  use  all  along  the  Arabian  coast,  and  is  pro- 
vided  with  a  dhow  sail. 

I  procured  two  such  boats  in  Hodeida, 
each  about  fourteen  meters  long  and  four 
meters  wide.  These  two  zambuks  I  sent  to 
Yabana,  a  little  bay  to  the  north  of  Hodeida. 
Because  of  the  French  armored  cruiser,  still 
sleepily  rocking  at  anchor,  a  departure  from 
the  harbor  of  Hodeida  was  out  of  the  question 
for  me.  The  Frenchman  might  accidentally 
have  a  spell  of  wakefulness.  As  I  was  aware 
that  the  country  was  swarming  with  English 
and  French  spies,  I  took  pains  to  spread  abroad 
the  report  that  it  was  our  intention  to  sail 
from  Isa  Bay  on  the  thirteenth  of  March.  It 
happened  just  as  I  had  foreseen.  On  the  after- 
noon  of  the  twelfth  of  March  the  little  and 
out-of-the-way  Isa  Bay,  where  no  house,  nor 
tree,  nor  bush  is  to  be  seen,  and  where  there  is 
hardly  any  water,  was  honored  for  the  first 
tune  since  the  beginning  of  the  war  by  the 
presence  of  an  English  gunboat,  which  hunted 


142  THE  "AYESHA" 

for  US  with  its  searchlight  all  up  and  down  the 
shore.  The  poor  fellows!  How  they  must 
have  wondered  where  we  were! 

On  the  fourteenth  of  March,  at  five  o'clock 
in  the  aftemoon,  my  fleet  sailed  from  Yabana. 
The  Imperial  war  flag  flew  proudly  at  the 
mast-head  of  my  flagship,  and  with  three 
cheers  for  his  Majesty,  the  Emperor,  we  began 
our  onward  journey.  The  flagship  of  the 
second  admiral  was  in  command  of  Lieutenant 
Gerdts.  We  made  up  for  the  total  lack  of  any 
further  ships  in  the  fleet  by  our  absolutely 
correct  discipline.  As  the  second  zambuk  was 
somewhat  larger  than  mine,  the  sick  were  put 
aboard  of  it.  Malaria,  dysentery,  and  typhus 
were  still  prevalent  among  the  men,  of  whom 
there  were  always  one  or  two  so  ill  as  to  cause 
US  the  gravest  anxiety.  Under  no  circum- 
stances,  however,  would  I  have  been  willing  to 
leave  any  of  them  behind,  for  their  only  hope 
of  improvement  lay  in  a  change  of  climate. 

With  regard  to  the  English  I  had  kept  my- 


SHIPWRECK  143 

seif  posted  up  to  the  last  minute  as  best  I 
could,  and  I  was  aware  that  an  English  block- 
ade  was  being  maintained  by  two  gunboats 
together  with  the  auxiliary  cruiser  "Empress 
of  Russia,"  in  a  line  extending  from  Loheia 
across  Kamaran,  Jebel  Sebejir  to  Jebel  Soghair. 
My  Problem  now  was  how  I  could  run  this 
blockade  with  my  sailboats.  To  avoid  the 
possibility  of  both  boats  being  captured  at  the 
same  time,  I  gave  Lieutenant  Gerdts  Orders  to 
separate  from  me.  A  meeting  place  farther 
to  the  north  was  appointed,  where  we  were  to 
wait  a  while  for  each  other. 

Soon  the  other  zambuk  was  lost  to  sight  in 
the  darkness  of  the  approaching  night.  Now, 
for  the  first  time,  our  lucky  star  forsook  us,  for, 
as  the  day  dawned,  the  wind  died  away  en- 
tirely,  and,  after  the  sun  had  risen,  we  dis- 
covered  to  our  extreme  discomfiture  that  we 
were  exactly  where  we  had  no  wish  to  be, 
namely,  right  in  the  middle  of  the  English 
blockade  line.    We  expected  at  any  moment 


144  THE  "AYESHA" 

to  See  the  mast-head  of  an  English  ship  appear 
above  the  horizon.  Our  frame  of  mind  was 
not  of  the  happiest.  The  absence  of  wind  de- 
tained  us  more  surely  than  the  most  superior 
of  foes  could  have  held  us.  But  it  had  not  been 
without  a  good  reason  that  I  had  delayed  our 
departure  to  the  end  of  the  week.  I  was  suffi- 
ciently  familiär  with  English  customs  to  know 
that  the  gentlemen  are  disinclined  to  work 
during  week  ends,  that  is,  on  Saturdays  and 
Sundays.  And  nothing  did,  in  fact,  come  in 
sight  during  the  entire  day. 

The  breeze,  which  set  in  during  the  coiurse 
of  the  aftemoon,  helped  us  onward  consider- 
ably,  and  by  evening,  soon  after  sunset,  we 
could  go  to  rest  with  the  comf ortable  assurance 
that  with  two  sailboats,  and  making  but  little 
headway,  we  had  succeeded  in  running  the 
English  blockade. 

With  my  flat-bottomed  zambuks  it  was 
possible  for  me  to  shape  my  further  course  so 
as  to  keep  within  the  coral  reefs  of  the  Farsan 


SHIPWRECK  145 


Bank.  This  is  a  dangerous  and  very  long  coral 
bank  having  an  extent  of  about  three  hundred 
and  fifty  nautical  miles,  and  near  which  large 
ships  dare  not  venture.  It  is  not  wholly  free 
f rom  danger  even  for  small  craft.  In  the  course 
of  the  foUowing  day,  my  second  zambuk  came 
in  sight,  and  received  Orders  to  keep  by  me. 

Life  on  the  zambuks  was  rather  pleasant  and 
quite  cozy.  An  abundance  of  room  we  did  not 
have,  of  course.  Including  the  interpreter,  the 
pilot,  and  the  Arabs  we  had  taken  with  us  for 
Service  with  the  sails  and  the  ships,  we  num- 
bered  thirty-five  men  to  each  zambuk.  With  a 
length  of  fourteen  meters,  and  a  width  of  four, 
it  can  be  readily  seen  that  but  Httle  space 
could  be  allotted  to  each  man.  Moreover,  a 
large  part  of  each  boat  had  to  be  devoted  to  the 
storing  of  provisions,  water,  ammunition,  and 
the  machine  guns.  To  protect  ourselves,  in  a 
measure  at  least,  from  the  buming  rays  of  the 
sun,  we  stretched  woolen  blankets  across  the 
ship  so  as  to  be  able  to  keep  our  heads  in 


146  THE  *'AYESHA 


the  shade.  Our  culinary  department  was  not 
run  on  a  lavish  scale.  In  each  zambuk  there 
was  a  small  open  fireplace  lined  with  tin.  Here 
the  meals  for  thirty  persons  had  to  be  cooked. 
We  tried  to  make  our  meals  as  varied  as  possi- 
ble  with  the  Hmited  means  at  our  disposal. 
Thus,  for  instance,  if  we  had  tough  mutton 
with  rice  and  gravy  on  one  day,  we  would  have 
rice  with  gravy  and  tough  mutton  on  the  next, 
and  on  the  third  day,  there  would  be  gravy 
with  tough  mutton  and  rice,  and  so  on. 

Our  boats  made  but  very  slow  progress. 
Oftentimes  we  were  becalmed,  and  there 
were  frequent  struggles  with  head  winds  and 
opposing  currents.  Nor  were  these  troubles 
from  without  our  only  ones,  for  there  were  con- 
flicts  within  our  boat  as  well.  These  raged 
most  fiercely  at  night,  for  then  the  cockroaches, 
bedbugs,  and  lice  were  especially  active.  All 
articles  of  clothing  that  were  not  in  use  had 
to  be  tied  fast  to  something  for  fear  they  might 
run  away.     In  the  moming,  as  soon  as  the 


SHIPWRECK  147 

sun  was  up,  every  man  of  us  puUed  off  his 
Shirt,  and  the  general  "early  louse  hunt"  was 
begun.  The  record  number  for  one  shirt  was 
seventy-four. 

On  the  seventeenth  of  March  I  signalled  to 
my  fleet:  "I  intend  to  anchor  in  the  evening." 
According  to  our  pilot,  we  were  getting  into  a 
vicinity  where  the  reefs  made  it  unsafe  even 
for  our  small  craft  to  sail  at  night.  By  six 
o'clock  in  the  evening  we  were  drawing  near 
to  the  island  of  Marka,  where  we  were  to 
anchor.  Our  pilot  was  conducting  us  to  our 
anchorage.  My  zambuk  led  the  way.  The 
second  one  followed  at  a  distance  of  two  hun- 
dred meters.  There  was  a  pretty  stiff  breeze 
blowing,  with  correspondingly  high  seas,  and 
we  were  looking  forward  with  eagerness  to 
getting  a  little  rest  in  the  lee  of  the  sheltering 
island.  But  we  had  made  our  reckoning  with- 
out  our  host  in  the  person  of  our  capable  Arab 
pilot.  He  directed  our  course  so  skilfuUy  that 
my  boat  suddenly  Struck  a  coral  reef .   A  second 


148  THE  "AYESHA 


and  a  third  time  she  pounded  so  hard  that  I 
had  grave  fears  for  the  safety  of  the  boat. 
The  next  moment  we  were  free  of  the  reef, 
however,  and  in  deeper  water.  I  dropped  an- 
chor  at  once.  Then,  in  order  to  keep  the  boat 
behind  us  from  running  aground  upon  the 
same  reef,  I  quickly  gave  her  captain  Orders 
by  signs  and  shouts  to  hold  off.  This  he  did, 
but  his  boat  was  ahready  so  in  the  midst  of  the 
reefs  that,  in  the  endeavor  to  avoid  one  reef, 
he  Struck  another.  In  a  moment  more  I  saw 
a  flag  nm  up,  a  sign  that  something  had  hap- 
pened.  The  next  instant  the  boat  dipped 
slowly.  From  the  motion  of  the  mast,  I  knew 
that  the  boat  was  pounding.  Suddenly  it  dis- 
appeared,  —  only  the  top  of  the  mast  could  be 
Seen  rising  on  a  slant  out  of  the  water.  It  was 
now  just  before  sundown. 

Night  sets  in  very  suddenly  in  these  South- 
ern latitudes.  Ten  minutes  after  the  sim  has 
set,  it  is  absolutely  dark.  There  was  no  moon 
at  the  time.    Instant  help  was  therefore  neces- 


SHIPWRECK  149 

sary.  Up  went  the  sail  on  our  zambuk.  All 
hands  set  to  work.  The  anchor  was  puUed  up, 
and  by  a  dfficult  manoeuvre  in  which  we 
came  near  running  aground  again,  we  got  away, 
and  hastened  to  the  relief  of  our  comrades. 
I  took  my  boat  as  close  to  the  submerged  zam- 
buk as  possible,  and  cast  anchor  again.  But 
on  account  of  the  reef  I  was  obliged  to  keep 
at  a  distance  of  four  hundred  meters.  We  had 
no  small  boats  that  we  could  send  back  and 
forth.  Each  zambuk  carries  but  a  single  dug- 
out,  —  a  very  small  and  narrow  paddle  boat, 
made  from  a  single  tree  trunk,  and  capable  of 
carrying  no  more  than  two  men  at  the  most. 
With  the  high  seas  running  at  the  time,  their 
usefulness  was  a  matter  of  doubt.  Neverthe- 
less  I  sent  mine  out  at  once. 

In  the  meantime  it  had  grown  dark.  We 
had  a  lantern  aboard  our  zambuk,  but  all  the 
many  attempts  we  made  to  light  it,  in  order 
to  show  our  ship's  position,  failed,  as  the  strong 
wind  that  was  blowing  extinguished  the  light 


ISO  THE  "AYESHA 


again  and  again.  "Torchlights!"  was  my  next 
Order.  We  had  taken  with  us  a  few  torches 
from  both  the  "Emden''  and  the  "Choising" 
for  possible  cases  of  emergency.  These  were 
now  brought  out  and  nailed  up.  The  fuses 
worked  all  right,  but  the  torches  refused  to 
bum.  They  had  grown  too  damp  in  the  many 
months  that  we  had  carried  them  about  with 

US. 

Suddenly,  out  of  the  darkness  of  the  night, 
I  heard  voices  rising  from  the  water  just  be- 
hind  US.  The  first  men  from  the  foundered 
zambuk  had  reached  us,  and,  unable  to  see  us 
in  the  darkness,  they  were  swimming  past  us. 
By  shouting,  by  whistling  with  the  boatswain's 
whistle,  we  tried  to  call  them  back,  and, 
after  some  anxious  moments,  we  succeeded  in 
doing  so.  The  men  had  swum  away  from  the 
other  zambuk,  and,  having  nothing  eise  to 
guide  them,  they  had  followed  a  star  that 
shone  down  from  the  direction  of  our  boat. 
How  many  of  the  men  were  in  the  water  we 


SfflPWRECK  151 

had,  of  course,  no  means  of  knowing.  My 
anxiety  for  them  was  great,  knowing,  as  I  did, 
that  the  water  in  this  vicinity  is  fnll  of  sharks. 
My  greatest  concem,  however,  was  for  the  sick, 
and  I  wondered  what  had  been  done  for  them, 
for  many  of  them  were  too  weak  to  help  them- 
selves.  That  which  was  needed  above  all  eise 
now,  was  for  us  to  show  a  light.  As  every  other 
means  had  failed  us,  I  had  the  men  bring 
wood,  pile  it  together,  pour  petroleimi  on  it, 
and,  with  little  care  for  the  danger  we  ran  of 
setting  our  boat  afire,  we  set  it  in  a  blaze.  In 
the  fire  thus  kindled,  we  held  our  torches  imtil 
they  were  dry  enough  to  bum.  At  the  same 
time  we  set  off  a  f  ew  white  fire  balls  that  we  had 
with  US,  and  which,  thank  God,  were  still  in 
good  condition,  although  by  firing  off  these 
rockets,  we  revealed  our  presence  to  other 
ships  for  miles  about. 

At  last  the  two  dugouts  retumed.  They 
were  rowed  by  one  man,  and  in  each  one  lay 
one  of  the  sick.    The  others  who  were  too  ill 


152  THE  "AYESHA 


to  do  anything  for  themselves  were  either 
brought  aboard  our  boat  in  the  same  way,  or 
eise  they  were  tied  to  one  of  the  dugouts,  and 
towed  along  in  the  water.  Meanwhile,  all  those 
who  could  swim  were  arriving  from  every  side. 
The  men  who  could  not  swim  —  and  there 
were  a  number  such  —  had  put  on  life-preser- 
vers,  and  were  paddling  along  as  best  they 
could.  One  after  another  they  came  aboard. 
Soon  there  were  fifty  of  us  in  my  little  zam- 
buk,  and  then  it  settled  so  low  in  the  water 
that  it  was  evident  it  would  hold  no  more. 
I  theref ore  ordered  everything  that  could  possi- 
bly  be  spared,  including  provisions  and  water, 
to  be  thrown  overboard,  in  order  to  lighten 
the  boat  sufficiently  to  carry  us  all.  Finally, 
all  that  was  left  us  was  our  arms,  ammuni- 
tion,  and  food  and  water  sufficient  for  three 
days. 

In  the  meantime  our  torches  had  bumed  low, 
and  I  was  filled  with  anxiety  lest  their  light 
would  not  hold  out  until  the  last  man  from 


SHIPWRECK  153 


the  wrecked  zambuk  had  come  aboard.  At 
last  all  were  accounted  for  except  the  ofläcers, 
and,  with  the  arrival  of  the  last  one  of  these, 
the  last  torch  died  out.  So,  for  the  present 
at  least,  all  were  safe.  The  wrecked  zambuk, 
according  to  the  reports  of  the  officers  in  com- 
mand  of  it,  lay  hard  aground  on  an  abruptly 
descending  coral  reef ,  and  we  had  reason  to  be 
grateful  that  at  least  the  mast  had  remained 
above  water.  It  might  have  happened  quite 
as  well  that  the  zambuk  had  slipped  down  the 
side  of  the  reef,  and  vanished  in  the  deep.  In 
that  case  all  the  sick  would  surely  have  been 
lost,  and  most  likely  some  of  the  men  who 
could  not  swim  would  also  have  been  drowned. 
Near  us  lay  another  zambuk,  which  belonged 
to  the  Idriss  tribe.  The  Idriss  are  an  Arab 
race  that  is  not  very  friendly  to  the  Turks,  and 
is  especially  averse  to  European  influence  of 
any  kind.  From  this  zambuk  a  canoe  had 
been  sent  to  the  rescue  when  my  second  zam- 
buk stranded.     But  as  soon  as  it  was  dis- 


154  THE  "AYESHA" 

covered  that  we  were  Europeans  —  a  circiim- 
stance  which  was  revealed  by  the  tropical  hat 
wom  by  our  doctor  —  the  canoe  tumed  back, 
and  left  our  men  to  their  fate.  To  continue 
our  journey  m  my  one  greatly  overladen  boat 
was  a  very  precarious  undertaking,  —  there 
were  now  some  seventy  persons  aboard  of  her 
—  and  especially  so  in  consideration  of  the 
very  meager  supply  of  provisions  we  had  with 
US.  Therefore,  just  before  sunrise,  I  sent  our 
Arab  Interpreter  to  the  Idriss  zambuk  to  offer 
those  in  charge  of  it  a  large  sum  of  money  for 
the  use  of  their  boat  for  a  few  days.  They 
refused  my  offer  flatly,  however,  saying  that, 
should  I  offer  them  a  hundred  thousand  pounds, 
they  would  do  nothing  for  dogs  of  Christians. 
It  would,  of  course,  have  been  an  easy  matter 
for  me  to  have  made  myself  master  of  the 
desired  zambuk  by  force,  and,  indeed,  it  had 
been  my  intention  to  do  so  as  soon  as  it  should 
be  fully  day.  I  was  very  averse  to  such  a  pro- 
ceeding,  however.     It  might  have  had  some 


SHIPWRECK  ISS 

very  unpleasant  consequences  politically,  for 
it  involved  the  use  of  armed  force  against  allies, 
even  though  these  allies  were  but  a  race  of 
wild  and  uncivilized  people. 

But  the  day  brought  us  better  fortune;  our 
lucky  Star  was  once  more  in  the  ascendant.  A 
stiff  southerly  breeze  was  blowing,  which  made 
it  possible  for  me  to  sail  even  with  my  over- 
loaded  boat,  as  I  could  run  before  the  wind. 
It  gave  US  the  promise  of  rapid  progress  dur- 
ing  the  day.    So  I  left  the  Idriss  boat  in  peace. 

We  now  hurried  to  save  what  we  could 
from  the  wrecked  zambuk.  We  wanted  most 
of  all  to  recover  our  arms.  The  zambuk  had 
sunk  still  lower  during  the  night.  The  mast 
was  broken  off,  and  the  ship  lay  on  the  bottom, 
tilted  downward.  By  diving,  we  succeeded  in 
recovering  the  two  machine  guns,  a  few  pistols, 
and  a  part  of  the  ammunition.  Everything 
eise,  our  provisions,  our  clothing,  and  the  like, 
was  lost,  and,  unfortunately,  our  entire  medi- 
cal  outfit  as  well. 


iS6  THE  "AYESHA" 

The  stiff  breeze  from  the  south  carried  us  in 
a  Single  aftemoon  over  a  distance  which  it 
would  have  taken  us  about  six  days  to  cover 
linder  the  previously  existing  conditions. 

By  evening  we  had  arrived  at  Coonfidah. 
Here  we  were  given  a  most  friendly  welcome. 
As  there  had  been  no  opportunity  to  make 
special  preparation  for  our  Coming,  a  genuine 
Turkish  meal  was  quickly  made  ready  for  us, 
and  we  ate  it  according  to  the  local  custom, 
without  the  use  of  plates,  forks,  or  knives.  A 
whole  sheep,  boiled  and  stuffed  with  rice,  was 
placed  on  the  table.  With  eager  hands  we 
set  to  work  to  denude  the  bones  of  the  meat 
that  was  on  them,  and  with  our  fingers  we  put 
the  rice  into  our  mouths.  At  Coonfidah  we 
met  a  Turkish  government  official  and  his  wife, 
who  were  also  on  their  way  to  Constantinople, 
and  who  became  our  traveling  companions.  In 
the  further  course  of  our  journey  this  official 
rendered  me  good  Service  as  dragoman,  that  is, 
as  interpreter. 


SHIPWRECK  157 


It  was  our  good  fortune  to  find  a  large  zam- 
buk  while  we  were  in  Coonfidah.  We  chartered 
it,  and  so  were  enabled  to  continue  our  journey 
all  together  in  one  boat.  Without  meeting  with 
further  difficulties  of  any  kind,  we  reached  Leet 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  twenty-fourth  day  of 
March.  This  town  marks  the  northern  extrem- 
ity  of  the  Farisan  Bank,  between  the  coral 
reefs  of  which  we  had  so  far  found  safety  from 
pursuit  by  our  English  foes.  Our  further 
course  by  water  would  now  take  us  out  into 
the  open  sea.  It  was  evident  that  the  English 
would  do  all  in  their  power  to  capture  us  there. 
While  in  Leet,  chance  placed  in  my  hands 
a  letter  that  had  come  from  a  merchant  in 
Djidda.  He  wrote  that  Djidda  was  closely 
blockaded  by  English  warships,  and  that  not 
even  a  zambuk  was  allowed  to  enter  the  harbor 
without  inspection  by  the  English. 

This  prohibited  our  further  journey  by  sea. 
There  was  therefore  but  one  way  open  to  us, 
and  that  lay  overland.     We  remained  in  Leet 


158  THE  "AYESHA" 

two  days,  just  long  enough  to  get  together  the 
animals  needed  for  our  caravan,  to  provide 
ourselves  with  the  required  amount  of  water, 
and  to  make  all  other  necessary  preparations 
for  our  onward  march. 

In  Leet  occurred  the  first  death  in  our  num- 
ber.  One  of  our  seamen,  Keil,  had  been  suffer- 
ing  from  a  severe  attack  of  typhus  ever  since 
our  sojoum  at  Hodeida.  The  hardships  of  the 
shipwreck  had  proved  too  much  for  his  already 
exhausted  body,  and,  as  our  medical  stores  had 
all  been  lost,  we  could  not  even  give  him  medi- 
cal aid  as  we  joumeyed  on.  He  died  on  the 
twenty-seventh  of  March,  at  three  o'clock  in 
the  morning.  Two  of  his  comrades  watched  at 
his  bier,  as  they  had  at  his  bedside  throughout 
his  illness.  We  made  a  row-boat  ready,  sewed 
the  body  in  sailcloth,  and  weighted  it  with 
stones.  The  war  flag  was  then  draped  over  it, 
and  on  this  was  laid  the  hat  and  bared  sword 
of  the  dead.  After  a  brief  reUgious  Service, 
we  laid  the  body  of  our  comrade  in  the  boat. 


SHIPWRECK  159 


and,  taking  it  out  to  where  the  water  was 
deep,  we  committed  it  to  its  last  resting  place. 
Three  voUeys  resounded  over  his  watery  grave. 
We  did  not  deem  it  wise  to  give  our  dead  a 
burial  on  land,  as,  in  all  likelihood,  the  wild 
and  fanatical  people  of  the  country  would 
have  disturbed  his  last  sleep. 

On  the  twenty-eighth  of  March  we  began 
our  onward  joumey. 


Chapter  XII 
THE   ATTACK 

It  did  not  prove  an  altogether  easy  task  to 
collect  in  Leet  all  the  cameis  that  we  needed 
for  OUT  joumey.  Leet  is  a  very  small  town 
with  a  popnlation  numbering  only  a  few  hiin- 
dred,  and  with  no  commercial  connections 
whatever.  To  facilitate  matters  with  regard 
to  our  joumey  I  thought  it  advisable  to  pay 
my  respects  to  the  Sheikh  of  Leet.  Never 
before  had  a  Christian  entered  his  home. 

The  medium  of  our  conversation  was  my 
dragoman.  After  the  customary  felicitations 
had  been  exchanged,  the  Sheikh  invited  me  to 
dine  with  him.  His  house  was  a  hut  put  to- 
gether  of  boards  and  matting,  and  without 
Windows  of  any  kind.  Along  two  sides  of  the 
room  stood  divans  covered  with  skins.  The 
walls  were  hung  with  weapons.    The  rest  of 


THE  ATTACK  i6i 


the  fumiture  of  the  room  consisted  of  smoking 
apparatus.  Throughout  the  entire  time  before 
dinner,  cups  of  Mocha  and  of  a  sort  of  lemonade 
were  passed  around.  The  coffee  was  of  the 
Arabian  variety,  viz.,  in  its  preparation  the 
husks  of  the  coffee  bean,  and  not  the  beans 
themselves,  are  boiled.  The  result  is  a  bitter 
drink  not  at  all  palatable  to  Europeans,  but 
which,  for  the  sake  of  politeness,  must  be 
swallowed  down  imder  any  circumstances. 
The  preparations  for  the  meal  were  begun  while 
we  were  sitting  in  the  room.  First  of  all,  quite 
a  large  round  mat  of  woven  straw  was  laid  on 
the  bare  earth  in  the  middle  of  the  room. 
Then  servants  brought  in  rice,  which  was 
heaped  in  a  huge  mound  in  the  middle  of  the 
mat.  A  few  jars  of  mixed  pickles  completed 
the  course.  Instead  of  sitting,  we  lay  down 
at  the  table.  Spoons  were  provided,  however. 
Soon  we  were  all  cheerfully  doing  our  best  to 
diminish  the  mountain  of  rice.  Meanwhile 
the  meat  course  had  arrived  at  the  front  of  the 


i62  THE  "AYESHA" 

house.  It  consisted  of  a  whole  roast  sheep, 
which,  as  such,  did  not  make  its  appearance  on 
the  table  however.  Knives  and  f orks  tiiere  were 
none.  Two  servants,  detailed  for  this  special 
duty,  tore  the  roast  sheep  into  pieces  with 
their  hands,  and  placed  before  each  one  of  us, 
on  the  mat,  the  piece  that  was  intended  for  him. 
In  the  conrse  of  the  two  days  that  we  had 
to  spend  in  Leet,  we  succeeded  ui  getting  to- 
gether  about  ninety  cameis.  With  this  nmn- 
ber  we  could  begin  our  march.  The  Sheikh 
assured  us  that  we  would  meet  with  the  others 
en  route  on  the  following  day.  I  purchased  a 
large  number  of  straw  mats  and  distributed 
them  among  my  men.  Later,  these  mats 
proved  an  excellent  protection  against  the  heat 
of  the  sim.  Our  caravan  left  Leet  in  the  even- 
ing,  and  we  began  our  march  into  the  desert. 
Most  of  the  cameis  carried  only  burdens, 
especially  water,  ammunition,  the  machine 
guns,  and  provisions.  The  water  prospects  for 
our  joumey  were  far  from  favorable.    I  had  to 


THE  ATTACK  163 


reckon  with  the  possibility  of  traveling  for 
days  without  being  able  to  replenish  our  water 
supply. 

A  journey  on  cameis  is  necessarily  a  slow 
one.  To  begin  with,  the  camel  is  not  a  speedy 
traveler;  furthermore,  ours  was  a  caravan  of 
ninety  cameis  at  the  Start,  and  later,  of  one 
hundred  and  ten.  The  camels  on  which  the 
officers  rode  were  the  only  ones  that  were 
allowed  to  nm  free.  All  the  others  were  fas- 
tened  together  by  ropes,  the  muzzle  of  one 
being  tied  by  a  rope  of  about  four  meters' 
length  to  the  tail  of  the  one  in  front  of  it. 
Naturally,  the  long  line  of  camels  thus  formed 
conld  not  move  with  the  rapidity  of  a  single 
animal,  since  the  rate  of  progress  of  the  whole 
line  had  to  be  kept  down  to  the  pace  of  the 
slowest  camel.  Moreover,  frequent  halts  had 
to  be  made,  to  re-adjust  packs  that  had  slipped, 
to  mend  a  broken  saddle  girth,  to  recover  a 
saddle  that  had  slipped  off,  and  for  other  like 
causes  of  delay. 


i64  THE   "AYESHA" 

We  kept  to  a  route  that  follows  the  coast, 
close  by  the  sea.  This  entire  region  is  con- 
sidered  unsafe,  robbery  and  attacks  upon  pass- 
ing Caravans  being  the  order  of  the  day.  From 
the  tune  we  lef t  Leet,  our  rifles  were  therefore 
kept  loaded,  and  ready  to  shoot.  We  were 
fortunate  in  that  the  nights  were  bright  with 
the  light  of  a  fnll  moon.  As  a  rule,  we  began 
the  day's  march  at  four  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon,  and  arrived  at  nine  or  ten  in  the  mom- 
ing  at  the  place  where  we  were  to  rest.  On  an 
average,  we  spent  about  fourteen  to  eighteen 
hours  a  day  in  the  saddle.  As  cameis  are 
pacers,  it  is  very  fatiguing  to  ride  them. 

The  water  places  that  we  passed  were  mere 
holes  dug  into  the  sand  of  the  desert,  and  were 
from  fourteen  to  eighteen  meters  deep.  With 
leather  bags,  which  we  lowered  into  them,  we 
dipped  up  the  water.  The  word  water,  in  its  Eu- 
ropean sense,  is  a  misnomer,  however,  for  this 
evil-smelling,  brown  or  black,  thick  fluid, 
swarming  with  insects.   At  the  bottom  of  some 


THE  ATTACK  165 


of  the  water  holes  a  dead  dog  or  sheep  could 
be  Seen.  To  use  it  unboiled  was  therefore 
utterly  out  of  the  question.  It  frequently  had 
a  brackish  taste  also. 

From  Leet  out,  we  were  escorted  by  a  Turk- 
ish  ofl&cer  and  seven  gendarmes.  In  addition, 
we  were  always  accompanied  by  the  sheikh  of 
the  district  through  which  we  happened  to  be 
passing,  for  it  is  customary  in  these  parts  to 
take  with  one,  as  hostage,  the  person  who  is 
responsible  for  the  safety  of  the  country.  Such 
precautions  are  not  looked  upon  as  being  any- 
thing  unusual  here.  In  this  way  our  march 
proceeded  without  interruption  of  any  kind 
until  the  thirty-first  day  of  March. 

At  about  eleven  o'clock  on  the  moming  of 
this  day,  we  arrived  at  a  watering  place  which 
is  but  a  day's  march  distant  from  Djidda,  our 
next  objective  point.  At  this  water  hole  we 
found  an  officer  and  seventeen  gendarmes,  who 
had  been  sent  from  Djidda  to  meet  us  and 
to  bring  us  the  greetings  of  our  Turkish  allies 


i66  THE  "AYESHA" 

and  of  the  civil  authorities  of  Djidda.  They 
had  also  brought  us  a  liberal  supply  of  water. 
We  camped  at  the  water  hole  as  usual,  stretched 
cur  straw  mats  and  woolen  blankets  over  the 
low  thomy  desert  growth,  and  crawled  linder 
them  far  enough  to  find  protection  for  our 
heads  at  least  from  the  scorching  heat  of  the 
sun. 

The  cooking  was  always  the  first  thing  under- 
taken  after  we  had  settled  down.  Dry  wood 
was  gathered  along  the  way  by  all  of  the  men, 
and  so  a  fire  was  quickly  started.  On  it  our 
usual  meal  of  rice  and,  if  we  were  lucky,  of 
mutton,  was  soon  prepared. 

When  I  saw  the  men  who  had  been  sent 
out  from  Djidda  to  meet  us,  I  supposed  that 
the  most  dangerous  part  of  our  joumey  was 
behind  us.  We  were  now  getting  into  the 
vicinity  of  a  town  in  which  there  was  stationed 
a  Turkish  garrison  of  about  three  hundred  men, 
and  I  Said  to  myself  that  if  seventeen  men 
could  come  through  unmolested  from  Djidda 


ff  c        c 


THE  ATTACK  167 


to  US,  then  surely  we,  a  Company  of  fifty  men, 
would  be  able  to  travel  the  same  road  to 
Djidda  in  safety. 

i  This  district  is  inhabited  by  a  tribe  that  is 
composed  wholly  of  direct  descendants  of  the 
Prophet,  but  which  nevertheless  is  notorious 
for  its  uncivilized  ways,  and  its  robberies. 
"Father  of  the  Wolf  is  the  very  appropriate 
name  by  which  this  part  of  the  coimtry  is 
known. 

As  usual,  we  began  our  onward  march  at 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Our  road  now 
led  US  somewhat  away  from  the  sea.  The 
country  round  about  consists  wholly  of  flat 
sand  drifts.  Nowhere  can  one  see  farther 
ahead  than  a  distance  of  about  four  hundred 
meters.  Hardly  has  one  sand  hill  been  passed, 
before  another  looms  up  to  shut  out  the  view. 
The  drifts  are  overgrown  with  tufts  of  grass 
attaining  a  height  of  about  two  feet.  We  were 
trotting  slowly  along  in  the  moonlight  when 
suddenly,  to  our  right,  from  beyond  the  usual 


i68  THE  "AYESHA" 

course  followed  by  caravans,  there  appeared  a 
number  of  Bedouins,  about  twelve  or  fifteen, 
riding  in  a  quick  trot,  and  then  vanished  in 
the  direction  from  which  we  had  come.  This 
looked  rather  suspicious,  for,  as  a  rule,  Cara- 
vans do  not  depart  from  the  routes  that  have 
been  trodden  for  thousands  of  years.  Still 
less  is  it  customary  to  ride  off  into  the  desert 
at  a  quick  trot  in  the  night-time.  Our  Turkish 
escort  also  took  these  men  to  be  robbers,  and 
told  US  that  there  had  been  talk  in  Djidda  of 
a  band  of  robbers,  numbering  about  forty,  by 
which  this  part  of  the  coiintry  was  infested. 

As  from  Leet  I  had  notified  the  authorities 
at  Djidda,  as  well  as  those  at  Mecca,  of  our 
Coming,  I  had  reason  to  believe  that  the  whole 
country  round  about  was  aware  of  our  approach. 
Everybody  knew,  therefore,  that  our  Company 
was  not  one  of  the  usual  merchant  caravans 
with  little  armed  protection,  but  that,  on  the 
contrary,  we  were  a  Company  of  fifty  well- 
armed  men,  who  were,  moreover,  carrying  with 


THE  ATTACK  169 


them  four  machine  guns.  A  rumor  of  forty 
roaming  bandits  caused  me  little  disturbance 
of  mind,  therefore.  Nevertheless,  that  I  might 
have  my  men  better  in  band,  and  be  prepared 
for  any  emergency,  I  took  the  precaution  to 
divide  our  one  long  line  of  cameis  into  two 
lines  of  fifty  each.  The  men  were  given  Orders 
not  to  go  to  sleep  on  their  cameis,  the  rifles 
were  all  examined,  and  everything  was  in  readi- 
ness  for  prompt  action.  The  orders  to  my  men 
were,  once  for  all:  "Rally  to  your  Commander." 

The  officers  were  riding  at  the  head  of  the 
Caravan.  When  the  first  signs  of  the  Coming 
day  began  to  appear  behind  the  mountains 
that  rose  on  our  right,  from  out  the  flat  sur- 
face  of  the  desert,  I  supposed  that  all  occasion 
for  anxiety  was  now  passed,  as  Bedouins  never 
make  their  attacks  by  daylight.  So  I  slung 
my  rifle  across  my  saddle,  unbuckled  my  heavy 
cartridge  belt,  and  rode  slowly  down  the  line 
to  See  whether  everything  was  in  order. 

I  had  got  no  farther  than  the  middle  of  the 


lyo  THE  "AYESHA^' 

Caravan  when  I  suddenly  heard  a  loud,  shrill 
whistle  that  was  instantly  followed  by  a  volley 
of  rifle  fire.  From  every  side  it  rained  lead  into 
our  Caravan  incessantly,  and  at  close  ränge. 
The  hum  and  whistle  of  the  bullets  made  such 
a  noise  that  the  commands  I  shouted  could  not 
be  heard.  I  grabbed  my  rifle,  held  it  high, 
jumped  from  my  camel,  and,  followed  by  my 
men,  ran  to  the  head  of  the  caravan.  Here  the 
firing  from  both  sides  was  well  under  way. 
From  out  the  dusk  of  the  early  moming  came 
the  flash  of  the  enemy's  shots  at  a  distance  of 
about  eighty  meters.  The  riflemen  themselves 
we  could  not  see,  any  more  than  they  could 
probably  see  us,  when  we  lay  on  the  ground. 
The  tall  forms  of  the  cameis,  on  the  other  band, 
must  have  been  quite  visible  to  the  enemy,  and 
it  was  at  these,  most  likely,  that  their  fire  was 
chiefly  directed.  The  only  guide  to  the  position 
of  our  foes  was  the  flash  of  their  shots.  As  we 
were  being  fired  at  from  every  side,  it  was  diffi- 
cult  to  decide  in  which  direction  to  tum  first. 


THE  ATTACK  171 

The  larger  niunber  of  my  men  was  with  me 
at  the  front.  A  few  of  them  had  been  given 
Orders  to  remain  with  the  rear  of  the  caravan. 

The  most  important  thing  for  us  to  do  now 
was  to  get  our  most  effective  weapons,  the 
machine  guns,  into  play.  Of  these,  two  were 
strapped  on  cameis  at  the  head  of  the  caravan, 
and  two  at  the  rear.  In  a  few  minutes  we  had 
the  machine  guns  in  action,  and  hardly  had  their 
volleys  rattled  over  the  enemy's  lines,  when 
silence  reigned  there.  This  turn  in  affairs  had 
evidently  not  been  expected.  We  took  advan- 
tage  of  this  lull  in  the  enemy's  fire  to  pull  down 
the  cameis  that  were  still  standing,  so  that  they 
would  not  form  so  easy  a  target,  to  distribute 
ammunition,  and  to  get  together. 

The  heaviest  fire  had  poured  down  upon  us 
from  forward  to  the  left,  and  it  was  therefore 
in  this  direction  that  I  now  led  my  men.  Our 
equipment  of  fire-arms  consisted,  all  told,  of 
the  four  machine  guns,  thirteen  German,  and 
three  modern  Turkish  rifles,  together  with  ten 


172  THE  ^'AYESHA" 

old  Turkish  rifles  that  I  had  secured  in  Coon- 
fidah  to  replace  those  lost  with  the  wrecked 
zambuk.  Of  these,  the  three  modern  Turkish 
rifles  had  been  distributed  among  the  ofl&cers. 
In  addition,  we  had  twenty-four  pistols  among 
US,  which,  however,  could  only  be  of  Service 
in  an  encoimter  at  close  ränge.  What  the 
strength  of  the  enemy  was,  we  could  not  teil 
as  yet.  There  might  be  from  sixty  to  eighty 
men  firing  rapidly,  or  there  might  be  many 
more  who  fired  slowly.  Their  nimiber  was 
soon  to  be  revealed  to  us  by  the  Coming  day. 
When  it  was  fully  light,  we  could  see  that 
within  our  immediate  vicinity  the  sand  hüls 
were  black  with  Bedouins. 

My  men  behaved  splendidly.  Not  one  of 
them  showed  the  least  perturbation  in  spite 
of  the  overwhelming  superiority  in  nimibers 
shown  by  the  enemy,  of  whom  there  must 
have  been  at  least  three  hundred.  With  one 
accord  the  bayonets  appeared  on  all  the  rifles, 
although  no  order  to  that  effect  had  been  given. 


THE  ATTACK  173 


During  a  moment  of  hesitation  at  the  very 
outset  of  the  firing,  which  had  now  begun  in 
good  earnest,  and  before  I  had  fully  decided 
what  it  was  best  to  do,  the  answer  to  my 
question  came  from  the  man  at  my  right,  who 
called  to  me. 

"WeU,whatisit?"   I  asked. 

"How  soon  are  we  going  at  it,  sir?" 

"At  what?"   was  my  question  in  reply. 

"Why,  at  storming  the  enemy,"  came  the 
answer  from  this  eighteen-year-old  boy. 
;    "Exactly,   my   man!     You're   right.     Up! 
March,  march!" 

With  a  hearty  cheer  we  were  up,  and  rush- 
ing  the  enemy's  Hne.  No  doubt,  such  tactics 
were  a  novelty  to  Bedouins  used  to  attacking 
a  Caravan.  At  any  rate,_the  enemy's  fire 
ceased  ahnost  entirely.  As  our  shining  bayo- 
nets  came  closer  to  our  foes,  they  quickly  took 
to  flight,  followed  by  our  rifle  fire,  which  visibly 
thinned  their  ranks.  First,  we  stormed  to  our 
left,  then  to  the  front,  and  then  to  the  right. 


174  THE  "AYESHA" 

It  was  not  necessary  to  follow  the  same  tactics 
to  the  rear,  as  there  the  enemy  had  disappeared 
entirely. 

As  a  result,  the  narrow  circle  within  which 
we  had  been  hemmed  in  by  the  enemy,  had 
now  been  widened  to  one  of  about  1200  meters' 
distance  from  us.  The  firing  had  stopped  alto- 
gether.  I  now  assembled  my  men  close  by  the 
Caravan.  The  machine  guns  remained  in  Posi- 
tion, in  readiness  to  keep  off  the  enemy,  as 
well  as  to  attack  them. 

In  spite  of  the  close  ränge  at  which  the  shots 
had  poured  in  upon  us,  we  had,  thank  God, 
only  one  man  womided  among  the  Germans  of 
my  Company.  A  Httle  surprise  was  in  störe 
for  me,  however,  when  I  looked  about  me  for 
my  friends  of  the  Arab  escort.  There  is  a 
German  saying  which  nms,  "He  counts  his 
dear  ones  that  are  present,  to  find  his  six  in- 
creased  to  seven."  In  my  case  the  Situation 
was  reversed.  Instead  of  twenty-four  gen- 
darmes,  we  now  had  only  seven.    There  were 


THE  ATTACK  175 


no  dead.  The  missing  were  found  when  we 
reached  Djidda.  Nearly  all  of  the  Arabs  we 
still  had  with  us  had  been  shot  in  the  leg.  This 
was  to  be  accoiinted  for  by  the  circumstance 
that,  instead  of  advancing  toward  the  enemy, 
they  had  nin  to  cover  among  the  cameis.  My 
men,  who  had  lain  in  the  sand  some  thirty  to 
forty  meters  distant  from  the  cameis,  had 
escaped  the  enemy's  fire,  which  had  passed 
over  them.  Our  foes  had  aimed  at  the  cameis, 
and  so,  before  our  Arabs  could  pull  the  animals 
to  their  knees,  to  find  complete  shelter  behind 
them,  the  enemy's  bullets,  in  passing  between 
the  legs  of  the  cameis,  had  found  a  mark  in  the 
limbs  of  the  heroes  who  had  sought  refuge  there. 
Of  the  enemy's  losses  we  knew  nothing  at 
all.  But,  as  we  stormed  past  the  evacuated 
positions  where  they  had  lain,  we  counted 
fifteen  dead.  It  is  the  custom  with  Bedouins 
immediately  to  remove  all  weapons  from  the 
bodies  of  their  fallen  comrades.  As  such  had 
been  the  case  with  all  but  one  of  the  dead, 


176  THE  "AYESHA'' 

only  one  of  their  rifles  feil  into  our  hands.  It 
was  a  breech  loader  of  the  most  modern  English 
construction,  and  was  gratefully  added  to  our 
own  equipment.  All  the  distant  sand  hüls 
were  still  fnll  of  Bedouins,  as  we  could  see.  In 
so  far  as  possible,  each  one  of  those  who  showed 
themselves  within  ränge  of  our  rifle  fire,  re- 
ceived  his  share  of  it,  the  moral  effect  produced 
being  the  principal  object  in  view  for  the  time 
being. 

We  could  not  very  well  remain  lying  in  the 
place  where  we  were.  I  had  at  first  thought 
that  we  were  dealing  with  a  band  of  brigands, 
whose  purpose  was  the  usual  one,  to  capture 
the  valuables  we  had  with  us.  I  had  therefore 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  our  assailants,  who 
had  suffered  considerable  loss,  had  now  thought 
better  of  their  undertaking  and  had  aban- 
doned  it. 

Quite  a  number  of  our  cameis  had  been  shot. 
We  took  from  their  packs  everything  that  was 
most  necessary  to  us,  water  especially,  and, 


THE  ATTACK  177 


discarding  all  the  less  useful  things  from  the 
burdens  of  the  uninjured  camels,  replaced  them 
with  the  indispensables. 

I  decided  to  leave  the  road  usually  traveled, 
and  turn  sharply  to  the  left  in  the  direction  of 
the  sea,  which  I  saw  shimmering  in  the  dis- 
tance.  If  we  could  reach  it,  it  would  afford  us 
protection  on  one  side,  leaving  us  free  to  face 
our  foes  in  front  and  at  our  rear.  It  was  un- 
fortunate  that  I  could  not  make  use  of  the 
machine  guns  while  on  the  march.  Having  no 
limbers  with  us,  the  guns  had  to  be  carried  by 
camels  while  we  were  on  the  march.  To  make 
the  Caravan  more  compact,  it  was  divided  into 
from  four  to  six  lines,  which  traveled  abreast. 
The  wounded  were  so  placed  on  the  camels  that 
they  hung  on  one  side  of  the  animal,  which  thus 
afforded  them  some  protection  against  the  fly- 
ing  bullets.  Two  of  the  four  camels  that  car- 
ried machine  guns  were  placed  at  the  head  of 
the  Caravan,  and  the  other  two  at  the  rear.  An 
advance  guard  of  ten  men  in  a  widely  extended 


178  THE  "AYESHA" 

skirmish  line  was  sent  out  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  meters  ahead  of  the  caravan,  while  a 
like  nimiber  of  men  formed  a  rear  guard  at  the 
same  distance  from  it.  As  there  were  only  nine 
more  men  who  carried  rifles,  these  formed  a  pro- 
tecting  guard,  as  best  they  could,  for  the  two 
wings.  The  men  who  were  armed  with  pistols 
only,  and  so  could  take  part  in  no  engagement 
except  one  at  close  ränge,  remained  near  the 
caravan.  Lieutenant  Gerdts  was  placed  in  com- 
mand  of  the  advance  guard,  Lieutenant  Schmidt 
of  the  rear  guard,  and  Lieutenant  Gyssling,  of 
the  flanks.  Lieutenant  Wellmann  had  charge 
of  the  caravan  itself,  where  Dr.  Lang  was  also 
with  the  sick. 

Slowly  our  Company  set  forth,  our  flag  car- 
ried before  us.  Our  hope,  that  the  enemy 
would  not  trouble  us  again,  was  not  to  be 
realized.  We  had  hardly  been  ten  minutes  on 
the  march  when  shots  again  poured  in  upon  us 
from  every  side.  There  was  scarce  a  sign  of  our 
foes  to  be  seen.    Their  every  movement  at  any 


THE  ATTACK  179 


distance  of  more  than  four  hundred  meters  was 
completely  hidden  by  the  sand  hüls.  Ten  to 
twenty  dark  heads  popping  up  with  lightning 
rapidity  from  behind  a  sand  hill  here  or  there, 
was  all  that  we  could  see.  Their  appearance 
was  always  foUowed  the  next  instant  by  a 
volley  of  shot  rattling  about  the  caravan,  and 
before  we  could  get  the  slightest  opportunity 
to  retum  the  fire,  the  heads  had  disappeared, 
and  a  shower  of  lead  feil  upon  us  from  another 
direction. 

At  first,  Strange  to  say,  not  one  of  our  num- 
ber  was  hit,  although  the  enemy's  fire  was  so 
incessant  that  shots  were  constantly  falling 
about  US,  little  pillars  of  sand  marking  the  spot 
where  they  Struck,  while  sand  and  gravel  was 
constantly  flying  in  our  faces.  In  a  short  time 
it  became  evident  that  the  greatest  pressure 
was  being  brought  to  bear  upon  our  rear  guard. 
At  that  end  of  the  caravan  the  men  had  to  tum 
every  few  minutes  to  silence  the  enemy  by  a 
vigorous  retum  of  their  fire. 


i8o  THE  "AYESHA^ 


I  was  with  the  rear  guard  when  a  signal  came 
from  the  front,  reporting  that  strong  hostile 
forces  had  come  in  sight  in  the  direction  toward 
which  the  caravan  was  moving.  When  I  ar- 
rived  at  the  front,  I  saw  that  the  whole  horizon 
was  black  with  Bedouins.  At  the  same  time 
came  the  report  from  the  rear  that  one  of  the 
cameis  carrying  the  machine  guns  had  been 
shot.  The  rear  guard  had  halted,  to  protect 
the  gim,  and  Lieutenant  Schmidt  asked  that 
fresh  cameis  be  sent  to  the  rear,  so  that  he 
might  shift  the  dead  cameVs  load.  I  now 
heard  the  machine  guns  of  the  rear  guard 
firing.  They  had  been  unstrapped,  set  up, 
and  brought  into  action. 

I  now  ordered  the  caravan  to  halt,  an  order 
which  was  by  no  means  easy  to  carry  out, 
however,  as  most  of  the  camel  drivers  had 
taken  advantage  of  the  darkness  to  disappear 
along  with  the  Arab  gendarmes  at  the  beginning 
of  the  fight.  While  on  my  way  back  to  the 
rear  guard,  the  report  reached  me  that  Seaman 


THE  ATTACK  i8i 


Rademacher  had  fallen,  and  that  Lieutenant 
Schmidt  was  mortally  wounded,  shot  through 
the  breast  and  abdomen.  In  the  meantime  the 
command  of  the  rear  guard  had  devolved  upon 
Lieutenant  Wellmann,  who  had  brought  with 
him  two  cameis  from  the  caravan,  for  the  trans- 
port  of  the  machine  guns. 

During  our  halt,  the  enemy's  fire  increased 
in  severity,  and  a  vigorous  engagement  was  soon 
in  progress.  Suddenly  the  firing  ceased  alto- 
gether,  and,  as  I  looked  about  me  for  the  cause, 
I  saw  two  of  the  Arab  gendarmes,  who  had  re- 
mained  with  us,  running  toward^the  enemy's 
lines,  waving  large  white  cloths  as  they  ran.  At 
the  same  time  a  third  gendarme  came  to  teil 
me  that  his  comrades  wished  to  parley  with  the 
other  side.  Although  this  txim  in  affairs  was 
in  no  way  of  my  choosing,  it  was  nevertheless  a 
welcome  one,  for  it  had  now  become  evident 
that  this  was  no  attack  by  a  mere  band  of  rob- 
bers, but  one  that  was  thoroughly  organized.  As 
our  assailants  outnumbered  us  by  at  least  ten  to 


i82  THE  ^*AYESHA  = 


one,  it  would  have  been  folly  to  continue  our 
maxch  at  the  slow  gait  of  a  cameFs  pace,  on 
an  open  plain,  under  continued  fire  from  the 
enemy.  Moreover,  my  most  effective  weapon 
of  defence,  the  machine  guns,  could  not  be  used 
while  on  the  march.  Nor  could  our  twenty- 
nine  rifles  be  employed  to  the  best  advantage, 
as  there  were  too  few  of  us  to  make  their  fire 
effective  in  all  the  directions  from  which  we 
would  be  attacked.  In  the  long  run,  we  would 
have  been  shot  down  one  af ter  the  other. 

We  therefore  took  advantage  of  the  pause  in 
the  battle,  to  fortify  ourselves.  Hastily  we 
constructed  defence  works  out  of  camel  saddles, 
which  we  filled  with  sand,  out  of  sacks  of  coffee, 
rice  and  other  provisions.  We  strengthened 
the  rampart  thus  formed  by  filling  it  about  with 
sand,  as  best  we  could.  The  cameis  were  placed 
all  together  in  the  middle  of  the  enclosed  space, 
and  loop  holes  were  quickly  got  ready.  For 
want  of  better  material,  they  were  put  together 
out  of  tin  plates  and  side  arms.    As  all  this  was 


THE  ATTACK  183 


done  in  great  haste,  our  constructions  were,  of 
course,  but  temporary  and  incomplete.  Our 
water  bottles  were  quickly  buried  deep  in  the 
sand,  where  they  were  least  likely  to  be  dam- 
aged  by  the  enemy's  fire.  Within  our  outer 
rampart  we  raised  another  little  fortress,  the 
walls  of  which  were  about  one  meter  and  a  half 
high,  and  constructed  of  empty  petroleum  cans 
which  we  filled  with  sand.  Here  were  placed 
the  sick  who  were  unfit  for  duty,  the  wounded, 
and  the  doctor. 

As  we  had  to  reckon  with  the  possibility  of 
being  fired  upon  from  all  sides,  and  our  rampart 
afforded  us  protection  in  front  only,  the  cameis 
were  so  placed  as  to  shelter  us  from  the  enemy's 
fire  at  the  flanks  and  rear.  For  our  severely 
wounded,  Lieutenant  Schmidt,  we  made  a 
stretcher  of  rifles  and  a  woolen  blanket,  on 
which  he  was  carefully  carried  to  the  inner 
fortress.  The  Seaman,  who  had  fallen,  we 
buried  where  he  feil. 

The  four  machine  guns  were  set  up  at  the 


i84  THE  "AYESHA" 

four  comers  of  our  defence  works,  and  protected 
as  best  they  could  be  by  hastily  thrown  up  ram- 
parts  of  sand.  The  men  armed  with  rifles  were 
distributed  at  equal  distances  along  our  forti- 
fications.  In  the  Spaces  between,  were  sta- 
tioned  the  men  who  were  armed  with  pistols 
only,  and  the  ammunition  was  placed  within 
easy  reach.  Our  preparations  were  hardly  com- 
pleted  when  the  men  bringing  the  enemy's  con- 
ditions,  returned.  The  demands  were  that  we 
surrender  all  arms  and  ammunition,  our  cameis, 
all  our  provisions  and  water.  In  addition  we 
were  to  pay  eleven  thousand  pounds  in  gold. 
Upon  compliance  with  these  conditions  we  were 
to  be  allowed  to  proceed  unmolested.  Well 
we  might! 

The  parleying  had  at  first  been  conducted 
through  the  dragoman  who,  with  his  wife,  had 
joined  us  at  Coonfidah.  He  also  was  among 
the  wounded.  Shot  in  the  leg!  When  he  went 
over  to  the  enemy  to  negotiate,  he  did  not  for- 
get  to  take  his  wife  with  him.    We  did  not  see 


THE   ATTACK  185 


either  of  them  again  until  we  met  them  in 
Djidda. 

My  answer  ran:  "In  the  first  place,  we  have 
no  money;  in  the  second,  we  are  guests  of  the 
coimtry  —  get  your  money  in  Djidda;  thirdly, 
it  is  not  customary  with  Germans  to  surrender 
their  arms." 

Hereupon  the  firing  began  again.  All  the 
camel  drivers  who  had  so  far  remained  with  us, 
and  a  nrnnber  of  the  Arab  gendarmes  also,  took 
advantage  of  the  truce  to  follow  the  example 
of  the  dragoman  and  his  wife,  and  disappear. 
The  engagement  lasted  until  darkness  came  on. 
We  lay  very  well  protected  behind  our  camel 
saddles  and  cameis.  We  retumed  the  enemy's 
fire  but  sparingly,  as  our  störe  of  ammunition 
was  not  large.  Moreover,  much  of  the  ammu- 
nition that  had  gone  down  with  the  wrecked 
zambuk,  and  had  lain  in  the  water  until  we 
fished  it  out  on  the  foUowing  moming,  now 
missed  fire.  For  this  reason,  I  had  all  the  im- 
damaged  ammunition  placed  in  readiness  near 


i86  THE  "AYESHA' 


the  machine  guns,  so  that  in  a  possible  night 
attack  at  dose  ränge,  I  might  feel  sure  of  my 
most  effective  weapons.  The  rest  of  the  am- 
munition  was  distributed  among  the  rifles.  We 
suffered  no  furtber  losses  during  the  day's  en- 
gagement.  Several  of  our  cameis  were  shot, 
but  we  were  none  the  less  protected  for  this, 
as  a  dead  camel  is  quite  as  good  a  shield  against 
rifle  balls  as  is  a  live  one.  We  had  eaten  nothing 
during  the  entire  day.  Nor  could  we  think  of 
doing  so  while  the  daylight  lasted.  No  sooner 
did  one  of  us  raise  bis  head  above  our  rampart 
of  saddles,  than  the  enemy's  fire  was  redoubled. 
But  our  most  strenuous  work  began  with  the 
Coming  of  the  night.  The  moon  did  not  rise 
xmtil  about  an  hour  after  sunset.  During  the 
intervening  hour  the  darkness  was  so  intense 
that  we  could  see  hardly  forty  or  fifty  meters 
ahead.  Within  our  rampart  everything  was 
in  readiness  to  withstand  a  night  attack  by 
storm.  All  rifles  and  pistols  were  loaded,  the 
machine  guns  manned  and  ready  for  action, 


THE  ATTACK  187 


and  the  men,  with  their  weapons  in  band,  were 
kneeling  just  behind  tbe  rampart.  But  notbing 
bappened. 

As  soon  as  tbe  moon  bad  risen,  and  we  could 
see  as  mucb  as  tbree  bundred  meters  abead,  we 
set  to  work  to  improve  our  position.  First  of 
all,  water  was  served  to  tbe  men,  and  bard  tack 
distributed.  Wbile  some  of  tbe  officers  and 
men  remained  on  guard  ready  for  action,  otbers 
set  to  work  at  deepening  tbe  trencbes,  an  imder- 
taking  tbat  proceeded  but  slowly,  as  we  bad 
no  proper  tools  for  tbe  work.  Still  otbers  were 
engaged  in  removing  tbe  dead  cameis  from 
witbin  our  enclosure.  Tbe  intense  beat  caused 
putrefaction  to  set  in  very  rapidly.  Tbe  car- 
casses  swelled  up,  tbe  tense  bides  burst,  and 
tbe  entrails  exuded.  As  at  tbis  season  of  tbe 
year  tbe  wind  blows  persistently  from  tbe 
nortb,  we  took  tbe  dead  cameis  to  tbe  soutb- 
ward  of  us,  so  tbat  tbe  stencb  migbt  not 
sicken  us. 

It  was  well  into  tbe  nigbt  before  we  feit  free 


i88  THE  "AYESHA" 

to  take  a  little  rest.  The  trenches  were  now 
so  deep  tliat  they  afforded  ample  shelter  for 
the  men  lying  in  them.  We  had  thrown  up 
mounds  of  sand  on  all  sides,  in  addition  to  the 
protection  afforded  us  by  the  cameis.  Our 
rifles  and  pistols  had  suffered  considerably 
from  the  incessantly  drifting  sand.  They  were 
now  taken  apart,  a  few  at  a  time,  cleaned 
and  tested.  Then  we  wrapped  our  handker- 
chiefs  around  the  locks,  and  stuffed  small  bits 
of  cloth  into  the  muzzles  to  keep  out  the  sand. 
All  this  care  was  necessary  to  insure  the  effi- 
ciency  of  our  weapons.  That  there  might  al- 
ways  be  some  one  on  guard  within  our  forti- 
fication,  a  part  of  the  men  remained  awake  at 
their  posts  while  the  others  slept  with  their 
loaded  rifles  in  their  arms.  There  was  always 
one  officer  awake.  But  nothing  of  importance 
occurred  durmg  the  night. 

At  nine  o'clock  that  evening,  Lieutenant 
Schmidt,  the  officer  who  had  been  so  terribly 
wounded,  died.    We  dug  a  grave  for  him  as 


THE  ATTACK  189 


deep  as  possible  in  the  middle  of  our  camping 
place,  and  toward  eleven  o'clock  in  the  night, 
we  four  surviving  officers  ourselves  bore  our 
fallen  comrade  to  his  grave.  There  could  be 
no  Service  at  the  burial.  The  volley  over  his 
freshly  made  grave  was  fired  by  the  enemy  on 
the  Coming  morning. 

I  had  brought  with  me  from  Hodeida  an 
English-speaking  Arab.  During  the  course  of 
the  night,  as  soon  as  the  moon  had  risen,  I 
sent  this  man  to  Djidda,  only  a  ten  hours' 
march  by  camel  distant  from  us,  and  only  eight 
by  foot.  I  had  found  him  to  be  a  very  reli- 
able  and  sensible  man,  and,  as  I  learned  later, 
he  succeeded  in  making  his  way  through  the 
enemy's  lines,  and  took  the  report  of  our 
perilous  Situation  to  the  military  authorities  at 
Djidda. 

Half  an  hour  before  stmrise  I  had  all  hands 
roused.  If  the  enemy  had  remained,  there 
would,  in  all  likelihood,  be  an  attack  made 
upon  US  as  soon  as  the  day  had  fuUy  come.    For 


iQo  THE  "AYESHA" 

the  sake  of  the  moral  effect,  it  was  my  purpose 
to  retum  their  first  fire  with  as  heavy  volleys  as 
possible.  I  wished  to  convince  the  enemy  that 
we  were  fully  prepared  for  an  attack,  and  that 
our  fighting  strength  was  undiminished. 

What  I  had  expected,  happened.  As  the 
sun  rose,  our  opponents  opened  a  lively  fire 
upon  US.  We  gave  them  a  vigorous  answer 
with  füll  volleys,  and  every  head  that  showed 
itself  received  its  share.  This  method  of  pro- 
cedure  perceptibly  dampened  the  fighting  spirit 
of  our  opponents.  Their  fire  became  notice- 
ably  weaker  and  more  cautious.  Our  purpose 
was  achieved. 

Just  before  sunrise  all  hands  were  served  with 
a  drink  of  water.  During  the  entire  course 
of  the  day  there  was  not  another  opportunity 
to  give  them  more.  Not  until  after  the  sun 
had  set  could  another  drink  be  given  them. 
As  we  did  not  find  it  possible  to  cook  anything 
even  at  night,  our  störe  of  hard  tack  was  drawn 
upon,  and  every  man  stuffed  his  pockets  füll. 


THE   ATTACK  191 


The  enemy  fired  upon  us  without  intermission. 
But,  as  we  were  pretty  well  protected,  we  re- 
tumed  their  fire  sparingly.  That  we  were  not 
engaged  in  an  ordinary  encounter  with  rob- 
bers, but  were  facing  a  thoroughly  organized 
attack,  now  became  doubly  evident.  From 
our  fortified  camp  we  could  plainly  see  two 
large  zambuks  lying  at  anchor  near  the  shore 
in  the  far  distance.  Between  them  and  the 
Arabs  who  were  besieging  us,  a  regulär  relief 
System  was  being  carried  on.  A  large  nxmiber 
of  our  foes  must  have  come  in  these  two  ships. 
Others  had  arrived  by  land,  which  was  shown 
by  the  fact  that  far  off  in  the  desert,  near  the 
horizon,  a  large  number  of  camcls  could  be 
Seen  grazing.  On  this  day,  unhappily,  two 
more  of  our  men  were  severely  wounded.  Of 
these,  Lanig,  a  fireman,  was  shot  through  the 
breast  and  abdomen,  and  died  during  the  night. 
Unfortunately,  we  could  give  our  wounded  but 
little  aid,  as  all  our  medical  Stores  were  lost 
together  with  the  zambuk  that  foundered.    All 


192  THE  "AYESHA" 

that  we  had  left  was  the  emergency  bandage 
packages  that  we  had  brought  with  us  f  rom  the 
"Emden,"  and  a  few  bottles  of  brandy. 

The  day  brought  forth  nothmg  of  special  in- 
terest.  A  camel  that  had  escaped  from  our  en- 
closure  was  shot  by  a  stray  bullet  to  leeward  of 
US,  and  the  intense  odor  of  decay  that  the  wind 
brought  with  it  was  a  source  of  annoyance. 
Within  our  camp  itself,  some  very  unpleasant 
guests  had  made  their  appearance.  Hundreds 
and  thousands  of  nasty  black  beetles  about  the 
length  of  a  man's  thumb  ran  about  everywhere, 
carrying  the  camel  düng  all  over  the  camp. 
Our  trenches  were  alive  with  these  insects,  and 
it  mattered  little  how  many  we  killed,  for  new 
ones  came  to  fill  their  places  as  fast  as  we  killed 
them.  Sleep  was  impossible.  They  crawled 
into  our  clothing,  and  ran  over  our  faces. 
Aside  from  the  annoyance  they  caused  us,  they 
brought  a  very  real  danger  to  our  wounded. 
The  tetanus  bacilli  develop  more  readily  in 
horse  and  camel  manure  than  in  anything  eise, 


THE   ATTACK  193 


aad  the  inevitable  result  of  tliis  infection  is  the 
deadly  lockjaw. 

The  buming  heat  of  the  sun  made  life  in- 
tolerable  during  the  day.  While  firing,  we 
could  not  wear  our  light-colored  head-cloths,  as 
they  afforded  the  enemy  too  good  a  target. 
The  intense  bright  light  dazzled  our  eyes,  and 
made  our  heads  ache.  Everything  was  so  hot 
that  we  burned  our  hands  when,  in  firing,  they 
occasionally  touched  the  barrel  of  our  rifles. 
The  grease-soaked  camel  saddles  began  to  smoul- 
der  in  the  heat,  and  a  faint  odor  of  smoke  per- 
vaded  the  whole  camp.  We  got  rid  of  this 
annoyance,  as  best  we  could,  by  heaping  sand 
upon  the  saddles.  The  sand,  carried  by  the 
never-ceasing  wind,  drifted  over  us  incessantly. 
All  day  long  some  of  us  were  kept  busy  digging 
out  the  trenches  that  had  been  half  refilled 
with  the  drifting  sand.  It  crept  into  our  eyes, 
our  ears,  our  mouths,  and  our  noses.  Our  eyes 
became  inflamed  from  its  constant  Irritation. 
Dampened  by  sweat,  it  formed  a  thick  coating 


194  THE  "AYESHA" 

on  our  faces  by  which  they  were  disfigured  be- 
yond  recognition.  High  in  the  air,  just  over 
our  camp,  circled  from  twenty  to  thirty  great 
vultures. 

With  tlie  approach  of  darkness  everything 
witibin  our  camp  was  put  into  a  State  of  pre- 
paredness  again.  And  again  I  sent  a  message 
to  D jidda,  —  this  time  by  two  Arab  gendarmes 
disguised  as  Bedouins.  As  soon  as  the  moon 
had  risen,  those  of  us  who  were  off  duty  lay 
down  to  rest.  The  enemy  ceased  firing  as  it 
grew  dark. 

In  the  middle  of  the  night  we  were  suddenly 
wakened  by  shots  fired  by  some  of  our  sen- 
tinels.  In  a  twinkling  everyone  was  at  his 
post,  ready  to  repel  the  supposed  attack. 
"Whereare  they?"  I  asked  one  of  the  sentries. 
"Right  here,  at  a  distance  of  about  forty  meters 
some  of  them  were  creeping  along.  There  goes 
one  now!"  And  off  sped  another  bullet.  But 
our  supposed  enemies  were  only  hyenas  and 
jackals,  which,  scenting  prey,  were  sneaking 


THE   ATTACK  195 


about  the  camp,  and  making  a  meal  of  the  dead 
cameis. 

When  that  night  was  ended,  the  sun  rose  over 
the  horizon  for  the  third  time  since  the  begin- 
ning  of  the  fight.  Our  condition  was  critical. 
We  had  heard  nothing  from  the  Turkish  garri- 
son  although,  provided  my  messages  had  been 
received,  relief  might  have  reached  us  in  the 
course  of  the  preceding  day.  We  could  hold 
out  no  longer  than  to  the  end  of  this  one  day. 
By  that  time  our  supply  of  water  would  be 
exhausted,  although  each  man  had  been  al- 
lowed  but  one  small  cup  füll  each  moming  and 
evening.  Without  water  we  were  doomed. 
Whatever  final  action  I  decided  upon,  must 
therefore  be  undertaken  at  once,  before  my 
men  had  lost  their  strength.  On  that  morning, 
I  gave  them  Orders  to  force  their  way  through 
to  Djidda  as  soon  as  the  sun  had  set,  if  no  re- 
lief reached  us  during  the  day.  In  this  way 
I  hoped  that  at  least  some  of  us  would  get 
there.    Whoever  feil,  must  fall.    The  sick  and 


196  THE  "AYESHA" 

the  wounded  could  not  be  taken  with  us.  But 
it  was  not  to  come  to  that,  thank  Godl 

Toward  noon  of  the  third  day  a  man  waving 
a  white  cloth  was  seen  Coming  over  to  us  from 
the  enemy,  who  had  ceased  firing.  I  had  him 
brought  within  our  camp,  and  asked  him  what 
he  wanted.  He  repHed  that  the  other  side 
would  withdraw  the  demand  for  our  arms, 
ammunition,  cameis,  provisions,  and  water,  if, 
instead,  we  would  pay  them  twenty-two  thou- 
sand  pounds  in  gold.  I  conjectured  that  our 
foes  had  leamed  of  the  approach  of  the  Turk- 
ish  garrison,  and  that,  in  the  customary  way 
of  the  country,  they  were  tr>4ng  to  get  out  of 
us  what  they  could. 

I  determined  to  draw  out  the  interview  as 
long  as  possible,  in  the  hope  that  the  relief 
expected  would  arrive  in  the  meantime,  and 
the  enemy  would  then  be  caught  between  two 
fires.  For  this  reason  I  pictured  our  Situation 
in  as  rosy  a  light  as  possible,  and  as  though 
we  could  wish  for  notliing  better  than  to  spend 


THE    ATTACK  197 


a  sununer  vacation  in  the  desert,  entertained 
by  the  music  of  whistling  bullets  about  us.  I 
pointed  to  our  empty  water  cans  where  they 
lay  buried  in  the  sand,  and  gave  the  man  to 
understand  that  we  had  water  enough  to  last 
US  four  weeks  easily,  that  there  was  there- 
fore  no  reason  why  I  should  make  special  con- 
cessions,  and  furthermore,  that  we  had  an 
abundance  of  ammunition,  as  he  himself  had 
reason  to  know.  In  fact  the  enemy  ought  to 
be  thankful  that  I  had  not  come  down  upon 
them  with  my  machine  guns.  The  medium 
of  our  conversation  was  a  native  of  Morocco, 
a  man  who,  at  some  former  time,  had  been 
made  prisoner  of  war  in  Belgiimi,  and,  together 
with  a  number  of  other  Mohammedans,  had 
been  sent  back  to  Turkey.  From  there  he  had 
joined  an  expedition  to  Arabia,  and  had  come 
to  Coonfidah,  where  I  ran  across  him  and  took 
him  with  us.  He  imderstood  a  few  words  of 
French. 
The  enemy's  envoy  did  not  seem  especially 


198  THE  "AYESHA" 

elated  by  my  representations.  He  withdrew, 
only  to  retum  again  in  about  half  an  hour  with 
a  repetition  of  the  seifsame  terms.  To  gain 
time,  I  now  told  him  that  I  considered  it  highly 
important  that  I  should  confer  with  the  leader 
of  our  assailants  in  person,  and  I  therefore  be- 
sought  him  to  come  to  me,  here  in  my  camp. 
His  apprehensive  Highness  did  not  come,  but 
sent,  instead,  the  fierce  threat  that  if  we  did 
not  pay  at  once,  we  should  have  "beaucoup  de 
combat."  I  interpreted  this  to  mean  that  for 
him  it  was  high  time  to  get  his  train.  So  I 
expressed  my  surprise  that  he  did  not  regard 
what  had  occnrred  as  "beaucoup  de  combat." 
To  me  it  had  seemed  to  be  such,  I  said. 

Hereupon  there  blazed  out  from  the  enemy's 
lines  a  few  more  furiously  angry  volleys,  and 
then  silence  feil. 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  passed,  and  then  an- 
other,  and  not  a  shot  was  heard.  Slowly  and 
cautiously  we  raised  our  heads  above  our 
camel  saddle  ramparts.    Nothing  to  be  seen! 


THE   ATTACK  199 


"Careful,"  I  cautioned.  "This  is  only  a  ruse. 
Keep  down!  There  is  time  enough.  We  can't 
get  away  from  here  before  evening  in  any 
case." 

But  when  nothing  at  all  happened,  we  first 
got  up  on  our  knees,  then  on  our  feet,  and  then 
searched  all  about  with  our  glasses.  Nothing 
to  be  Seen!  Whither  our  foes  had  vanished,  we 
had  not  the  least  idea.  The  sand  hills  of  the 
desert,  into  which  they  had  gone,  concealed 
them  from  our  view.  Apparently  they  had 
departed. 

For  the  present  I  meant  under  any  circum- 
stances  to  remain  where  we  were.  In  the  first 
place,  I  did  not  feel  at  all  certain  that  the 
enemy  had  really  withdrawn,  and  that  this  was 
not  merely  a  ruse  to  which  they  had  resorted. 
And  secondly,  we  could  not  take  up  our  march 
before  nightfall  in  any  case. 

About  an  hour  after  the  firing  had  ceased, 
two  men  on  cameis  appeared  in  the  distance. 
Their  dress  and  richly  caparisoned  saddles  pro- 


200  THE  "AYESHA" 

claimed  them  from  afar  to  be  no  ordinary 
Bedouins.  Waving  a  white  cloth,  they  came 
riding  toward  our  camp.  As  a  sign  that  we 
understood  their  purpose,  we  raised  our  war 
flag.  When  the  men  had  come  to  within  fifty 
meters  of  us,  they  dismounted.  I  sent  my 
man  from  Morocco  out  to  them,  to  ask  what 
they  wanted.  The  answer  was  that  they 
wished  to  speak  with  the  Commander  of  the 
German  troop.  They  had  been  sent  by  the 
Emir  of  Mecca,  who  had  been  informed  of 
the  attack  upon  us,  and  was  sending  troops  to 
our  relief. 

This  sounded  very  promising,  but  there  was 
after  all  no  surety  that  it  was  really  true.  By 
this  time  my  sojourn  in  Arabia  had  taught  me 
to  be  suspicious  of  everything.  When  I  went 
out  to  meet  the  Arabs,  it  was  with  drawn  sword 
in  hand,  and  behind  me  walked  one  of  my  men 
with  cocked  rifle,  ready  to  shoot.  At  the  camp 
I  left  Orders  to  stand  ready  to  fire,  and,  in  case 
an  attack  upon  me  should  be  made,  to  shoot 


THE   ATTACK  201 


without  regard  for  my  person.  But  again 
nothing  happened. 

The  two  Arabs  assured  me  that  Abdullah,  the 
second  son  of  the  Emir  of  Mecca,  would  soon 
arrive  with  a  Company  of  soldiers.  And  truly, 
in  about  another  half  hour  we  could  see  in  the 
distance  about  seventy  men  riding  toward  us 
on  cameis,  and  carrying  before  them  a  dark  red 
banner  emblazoned  with  verses  from  the  Koran 
in  golden  lettering.  They  were  making  a  sort 
of  music  by  the  beating  of  drums,  and  were 
singing  to  it.  I  regarded  this  proceeding  as 
rather  incautious,  if,  as  I  assumed,  these  sol- 
diers were  about  to  enter  into  an  engagement. 

Coming  toward  me,  Abdullah  saluted.  He 
brought  me  his  father's  greetings,  and  expressed 
regret  for  what  had  occurred.  He  told  me  that 
he  had  brought  us  water,  and  assured  me  that 
we  could  now  march  on  to  Djidda  in  peace, 
as  our  assailants  had  withdrawn. 

After  I  had  distributed  the  water  among  my 
men,  we  proceeded  to  load  the  packs  on  the 


202  THE  "AYESHA' 


camels.  This  was  a  wearisome  undertaking, 
and  one  that  was  accompanied  by  many  dffi- 
oüties,  as  getting  camels  ready  to  march  has 
as  yet  not  been  included  in  the  training  for 
Service  in  the  Imperial  navy.  Quantities  of 
provisions  had  to  be  left  behind,  as  forty  of 
our  camels  had  been  shot. 

Accompanied  by  the  Emir's  troops  we  left 
onr  camp.  It  was,  no  doubt,  a  most  imusual 
occnrrence  that  a  Christian  should  thus  be 
riding  through  the  desert,  side  by  side  with  the 
son  of  the  Emir  of  Mecca,  and  under  the  ban- 
ner  of  the  Prophet.  A  few  minutes  later  we 
passed  the  abandoned  positions  of  our  foes. 
The  rascals  had  actually  dug  out  regulär 
trenches  for  themselves. 

We  rode  throughout  the  rest  of  the  day.  In 
the  evening  we  camped  beside  a  spring.  Here, 
for  the  first  time  in  four  days,  we  could  eat  a 
cooked  meal,  wash  ourselves,  and  lie  down  to 
rest.  A  circimistance  of  interest  was  that  the 
water  was  brought  up  from  a  well  having  a 


THE  ATTACK  203 


depth  of  about  forty  meters,  and  yet  its  tem- 

perature  was  about  thirty  degrees  Centigrade.^ 

As  we  lay  in  our  camp,  dose  by  the  shore  of 

the  sea,  we  could  see,  in  the  darkness  of  the 

night,  the  restless  play  of  a  searchlight  flashing 

over  the  surface  of  the  water.    Our  friends,  the 

EngHshmen  off  Djidda! 

^  A  depth  of  about  131  feet,  and  a  temperature   of  86 
degrees  Fahrenheit.    Translator. 


Chapter  XIII 
TO  THE  RAILROAD 

We  were  well  cared  for  at  Djidda.  The 
sick  and  wounded  found  shelter  and  attention 
in  a  comparatively  good  military  hospital.  A 
difficult  point  for  me  to  settle  now,  was  how  it 
was  best  to  proceed  on  our  way.  I  had  leamed 
that  the  Bedouins  who  had  attacked  us  were  in 
the  Service  of  the  English,  a  fact  to  which  the 
modern  English  rifles  with  which  they  were 
equipped,  attested.  The  way  out  of  Djidda  by 
sea  was  also  closed  to  us.  During  the  day  we 
could  distinctly  see  the  mast  tops  of  the  English 
blockaders  now  and  again.  Nevertheless,  I  de- 
cided  to  continue  our  joumey  in  zambuks.  It 
appeared  to  me  that  the  way  by  water  ofifered 
greater  possibilities  of  success  than  to  travel  by 
land. 

The  first  step  to  be  taken  was  to  spread 


TO  THE  RAILROAD  205 

abroad  the  report  that  we  intended  to  go  over- 
land.  Meanwhile,  very  secretly,  I  provided 
myself  with  a  zambuk  and  a  good  pilot.  On 
account  of  the  wounded  it  was  necessary  to 
remain  in  Djidda  for  some  days.  The  eighth 
of  April  was  the  day  set  for  our  departure.  In 
the  harbor  at  Djidda  there  was  a  motorboat 
in  which  I  made  a  trip  of  inspection  as  far  out 
to  sea  as  possible.  I  saw  no  sign  of  the  English. 
Did  they  believe  in  the  rumored  land  joumey? 
On  the  night  between  the  eighth  and  ninth 
of  April  the  wind  was  in  our  favor,  and  we  ran 
out.  We  met  much  better  conditions  than 
when  we  ran  the  English  blockade  upon  leav- 
ing  Hodeida.  The  wind  held  steady  all  through 
the  night,  and  when  the  sun  rose,  we  were  out 
of  sight  of  the  blockading  Englishmen.  I 
hugged  the  shore  with  my  zambuk  as  well  as  I 
could,  and  took  advantage  of  every  reef  to  creep 
behind  it,  and  so  increase  the  difficulty  of  our 
capture  by  any  possible  pursuers.  Our  progress 
was  slow  but  sure.    We  stopped  for  a  short 


2o6  THE  "AYESHA" 

time,  generally  not  more  than  a  few  hours,  at 
several  little  coast  towns  to  inquire  for  news, 
and  to  purchase  fresh  provisions.  The  pilot 
we  had  taken  with  us  from  Djidda  was 
thorougMy  familiär  with  the  waters  through 
which  he  was  conducting  us,  and  spoke  English 
very  well.  We  lay  at  anchor  at  night,  as  the 
reefs  rendered  navigation  impossible  in  the 
dark.  At  Sherm  Rabigh  I  had  to  change 
zambuks,  as  the  one  I  had  procured  at  Djidda 
proved  to  be  too  weak.  Our  new  zambuk  had 
first  of  all  to  be  ballasted  with  sand,  as,  with- 
out  either  cargo  or  bailast,  the  ship  could  not 
carry  sail. 

Our  anchoring,  in  the  evening,  was  always  a 
peculiar  manoeuvre.  In  the  proper  sense  of  the 
Word  anchoring,  it  was  not  such  at  all.  The 
coral  reefs  between  which  we  were  sailing  feil 
o£f  abruptly  all  round  into  a  great  depth  of 
water.  The  anchoring  proceeded  in  this  way: 
We  ran  to  within  a  few  meters  of  the  coral 
reefs,  where  we  took  down  all  sails.     Two 


TO  THE  RAILROAD  207 

Arabs,  standing  ready  at  the  bow,  then  jumped 
overboard,  each  one  carrying  with  him  a  light 
rope  to  which  iron  hooks  were  attached.  These 
iron  hooks  were  bored  into  the  cavities  of  the 
coral  formation  just  below  the  surface  of  the 
water.  And  so  we  lay  for  the  night.  This  was 
not  always  pleasant  however,  for  when  the 
wind  shifted,  there  was  danger  that  it  would 
blow  US  onto  the  coral  formation  to  which  we 
had  made  fast. 

On  our  way  to  the  north  we  passed  several 
boats  sailing  in  the  opposite  direction.  It  is 
the  custom  in  Arabia  for  boatmen,  in  passing, 
to  greet  each  other  with  a  sort  of  howl.  The 
Arabs  in  the  boats  we  met  were  always  amazed 
to  hear,  as  they  sailed  by  us,  the  howling  of 
their  countrymen  in  our  zambuk  energetically 
supplemented  by  fifty  vigorous  voices. 

We  found  practically  no  coast  population 
along  the  entire  way,  but  occasionally  we  met, 
far  out  at  sea,  a  little  dugout  carrying  an 
Arab  or  two  engaged  in  fishing.     We  always 


2o8  THE  "AYESHA" 

hailed  these  fishermen,  and  traded  rice  for 
fish  with  them. 

Out  way  northward  took  us  past  Mecca. 
It  is  the  custom  with  Arabs,  when  at  their 
prayers  five  times  a  day,  to  face  toward  their 
Holy  City,  and  to  touch  their  foreheads  to  the 
ground  in  that  direction.  So  it  came  about  that 
during  the  first  days  of  our  sailing,  the  Arabs 
in  our  zambuk  would  stand  facing  toward  the 
bows,  then,  later,  to  starboard,  and  finally 
they  faced  aft. 

Without  meeting  with  any  special  difficulties 
we  reached  Sherm  Munnaiburra  on  the  twenty- 
eighth  day  of  April.  This  is  a  little  sheltered 
bay  about  ten  nautical  miles  south  of  our 
intended  point  of  destination,  El  Wegh.  From 
this  bay  onward  our  course  lay  without  the 
shelter  of  the  reefs,  and  deep, water  ran  close 
to  the  shore.  We  had  now  been  fighting  our 
way  onward  for  nearly  six  months,  and  there 
prevailed  among  us  a  general  disinclination  to 
trust  ourselves  to  a  sailboat  over  this  last  short 


TO  THE  RAILROAD  209 

strjetch  that  might  prove  dangerous  to  us  on 
our  journey.  For  this  reason  we  cast  anchor 
at  Sherm  Munnaiburra,  to  go  overland  to  El 
Wegh. 

Our  Coming  had  been  made  known  to  the 
local  authorities  by  messengers  despatched 
overland,  who  had  arrived  before  us.  A  few 
gendarmes  had  therefore  been  sent  to  the  coast 
to  meet  us.  We  got  hold  of  one  of  them  while 
we  were  still  in  the  harbor,  and  sent  him  out 
to  find  cameis  for  us.  Before  the  night  had 
passed,  we  could  see  from  where  we  lay,  a 
nimiber  of  little  watch  fires  burning  here  and 
there  along  the  shore,  an  indication  that  the 
animals  for  our  caravan  were  assembling. 

When  we  rode  off  on  the  following  day,  we 
took  with  US  nothing  more  than  our  arms,  and 
provisions  sufficient  for  one  day  only.  Every- 
thing  eise  was  left  on  the  zambuk,  to  take  its 
chances  by  sea.  Fortimately,  the  zambuk 
reached  its  destination  without  sighting  a 
Single  hostile  ship.     On  the   evening   of   the 


2IO  THE  "AYESHA" 

twenty-ninth  day  of  April  we  were  in  El 
Wegh. 

The  first  thing  we  did  here  was  to  get  a  good 
bath,  and  a  good  sleep.  Here,  too,  we  at  last 
had  an  opportnnity  to  change  onr  under- 
clothing  and  have  it  washed,  for  it  required 
two  days  to  get  the  necessary  cameis  together 
at  El  Wegh. 

On  the  second  of  May,  at  eight  o'clock  in 
the  moming,  we  began  our  march.  Here  in 
the  north,  the  cameis  traveled  differently  than 
in  the  south,  where,  as  has  been  described, 
they  were  all  tied  together  so  as  to  form  one 
long  line.  This  is  not  the  custom  in  the  north, 
where  every  animal  goes  along  by  itseK,  and 
must  be  guided  by  its  own  rider.  At  first  this 
proved  a  difficult  task  for  my  men,  but  before 
long  they  had  their  cameis  so  well  in  hand  that 
the  Caravan  could  be  kept  together  quite  well. 
We  were  conducted  on  our  way  by  Suleiman, 
Sheikh  of  El  Wegh. 

At  first  cur  road  lay  through  the  desert 


TO  THE  RAILROAD  211 

with  which  we  were  all  too  familiär.  But  very 
soon  we  came  to  a  mountain  region,  and  passed 
some  charming  scenery.  The  water  conditions 
also  were  far  better  than  those  we  had  found 
in  the  desert.  The  wells  were  better  kept,  and 
furnished  water  that  was  at  least  drinkable, 
although  not  absolutely  clean.  That  we  should 
See  running  water  when  we  reached  the  moun- 
tain ridge  was  announced  to  us  by  oiir  Arab 
escort,  days  before  we  got  there,  as  a  matter  of 
special  interest  and  wonder.  If  any  of  us  were 
anticipating  the  pleasure  of  bathing  in  a  moun- 
tain torrent,  our  hopes  were  certainly  doomed 
to  disappointment.  To  be  sure,  the  water  in 
the  tiny  rivulet  that  we  saw  did  move,  but  any 
one  of  US  could  easily  have  stopped  its  flow  for 
some  time,  by  stepping  into  it  with  both  feet. 
Up  here  in  the  mountains,  where  it  was 
cooler,  we  marched  by  day,  and  rested  at 
night.  Because  of  our  bitter  experience  in  the 
desert,  we  made  it  our  habit  to  intrench  our- 
selves   every  evening  before   going   to  sleep, 


212  THE  "AYESHA 


much  to  the  astonishment  of  our  Arab  escort. 
But  we  had  finally  reached  the  point  where  we 
doubted  that  anybody  was  to  be  trusted.  Our 
fortifications  were  usually  very  quickly  thrown 
up,  as  we  had  brought  with  us  spades  enough 
for  all.  And  so,  each  evening  saw  a  small 
fortified  camp  arise  in  the  wilderness,  and  from 
out  its  ramparts  our  four  machine  guns  pro- 
truded  threateningly.  Within  our  fortifications 
no  watch  fire  was  allowed,  but  the  im- 
mediate  region  all  roimd  our  camp  was  well 
lighted  by  fires  kept  buming  by  our  sentinels. 
We  slept,  as  usual,  with  loaded  rifles  in  our 
arms.  Comfort  was  not  a  prominent  feature 
in  this  sort  of  camp.  The  nights  were  very 
cold.  The  well  men  among  us  frequently  gave 
their  blankets  to  the  sick,  that  they  might  be 
kept  warm.  But  those  of  us  who  had  none 
did  not  mind  it,  but  followed  the  old  rule  which 
runs:  "Lie  down  on  your  back  and  cover 
yourself  with  your  belly." 
The   domain   of   our   conductor,    Suleiman 


TO  THE  RAILROAD  213 

Pasha,  did  not  extend  quite  to  El  Ula,  from 
whence  we  expected  to  go  by  the  Hejaz 
Railroad.  Just  before  reaching  El  Ula  we  had 
to  cross  territory  that  was  controUed  by  an- 
other  sheikh,  one  who  was  at  enmity  with  our 
friend,  and  who  was  illy  disposed  toward  us 
because  we  had  not  hired  cameis  of  hitn  for 
the  last  four  hours  of  our  march,  while  passing 
through  his  territory. 

Under  these  circumstances  it  was  quite 
possible  that  we  still  might  have  to  break  our 
way  through  by  force  of  arms.  Suleiman 
Pasha  also  seemed  to  regard  something  of  this 
kind  as  probable.  On  each  day,  and  from  every 
direction  in  the  mountains,  small  bands  of  his 
adherents  joined  him,  until  our  caravan  had 
gradually  attained  a  total  strength  of  some 
four  hundred  men.  It  was  a  most  picturesque 
scene  we  looked  upon  as  these  Bedouins 
marched  along,  carrying  long  Arab  flintlocks, 
clad  in  their  loosely  flowing  brown  garments, 
and  with  fluttering  bright  head-cloths,    If,  on 


214  THE  "AYESHA" 

the  preceding  days,  we  had  been  the  only  ones 
to  be  cautious  enough  to  intrench,  it  was  now 
Suleiman  Pasha  himself  who  adopted  this 
measure,  an  evidence  to  us  that  it  might  yet 
be  made  pretty  bot  for  us.  That  night  we  made 
special  efforts  to  be  well  prepared.  But  it 
passed  without  disturbance  of  any  kind. 

We  were  now  only  one  day's  joumey  distant 
from  a  railroad  Station.  Our  way  lay  over  a 
high  moimtain  region.  We  wound  along 
through  narrow  passes  that  seemed  just  fitted 
for  an  attack.  Through  these  defiles  but  one 
camel  could  pass  at  a  time,  with  the  result, 
that  the  caravan  stretched  away  in  so  long  a 
line  that  it  could  hardly  be  kept  together  under 
the  command  of  one  leader.  To  guard  against 
any  possible  surprise,  Suleiman  had  organized 
a  regulär  reconnoitering  Service,  which,  in  its 
wonderful  efficiency,  was  worthy  of  admiration. 
Perhaps  it  was  also  an  evidence  that  he  had 
frequent  need  of  it.  Little  patrols,  mounted 
on  cameis,  rushed  at  a  fuU  gallop  into  every 


TO  THE  RAILROAD  215 

monntain  valley,  emerged  on  the  other  side  of 
the  mountain,  made  their  observations,  re- 
ported,  and  retumed  to  their  places  in  the 
Caravan. 

When  we  were  but  a  few  hours'  march  dis- 
tant  from  El  Ula,  letters  were  brought  to  us. 
They  had  been  sent  to  inform  us  that  the 
angry  sheikh  who,  we  had  supposed,  would 
attack  US,  was  at  the  time  embroiled  in  a  fight 
farther  to  the  north,  and  that  we  could  there- 
fore  continue  on  our  way  without  fear  of  being 
molested. 

Upon  receipt  of  this  information  I  decided 
to  ride  ahead  of  the  caravan,  so  as  to  get  to 
the  telegraph  Station  at  El  Ula  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible,  Order  a  special  train,  and  make  arrange- 
ments  for  the  comfort  of  my  men.  I  was 
accompanied  by  Suleiman  Pasha,  his  two  sons, 
and  several  other  dignitaries.  We  rode  at  a 
Sharp  trot,  and  covered  the  last  Stretch  of  the 
journey  in  a  few  hours.  We  had  all  come  to  be 
on  very  f riendly  terms  with  our  Sheikh  and  his 


2i6  THE  "AYESHA^ 


two  sons,  although  our  means  of  conversation 
were  very  limited.  All  three  of  them  showed  the 
greatest  interest  when,  on  arriving  at  the  sum- 
mit  of  the  moimtain  ränge,  from  whence  the 
white  houses  of  El  Ula  could  be  seen  gleaming 
out  from  among  the  palm  trees,  I  took  out 
my  binoculars  to  get  sight  at  last  of  a  tele- 
graph  wire  and  a  railroad.  Glasses  of  this  kind 
are  as  yet  unknown  in  this  region.  Each  of 
my  Arab  friends  wanted  to  get  at  least  one 
look  through  them,  and  so  the  glasses  passed 
from  hand  to  hand.  With  every  change  of 
hands,  the  glasses  were  given  an^extra  tum. 
How  much  the  last  one  could  see,  I  can  not 
say. 

In  Order  to  impress  our  Arab  escort  at  the 
very  outset  with  the  efl&ciency  of  our  weapons, 
I  had,  some  days  previously,  given  Suleiman 
Pasha,  to  his  great  astonishment,  an  Illustration 
of  what  our  machine  guns  were  capable  of  in 
the  way  of  firing.  He  was  eager  to  be  allowed 
himself  to  press  the  button,  and  manifested  a 


TO  THE  RAILROAD  217 

surprised  delight  when  the  gun,  which  we  had 
got  ready  for  him  beforehand,  fired  an  unbroken 
succession  of  shots,  and  brought  down  pieces 
of  stone  from  the  cliffs  at  which  it  was  aimed. 
As  all  weapons  are  subjects  of  great  interest 
to  Arabs,  I  presented  Suleiman  Pasha  and  each 
of  his  sons  with  a  revolver  and  the  necessary 
ammunition  for  it.  In  addition,  I  promised  to 
send  them  a  binocular  from  Germany. 

As  we  were  riding  across  a  wide  plateau 
which  stretched  beyond  the  limits  of  our  vision, 
I  utilized  this  opportunity  to  impress  upon  the 
Pasha  an  idea  of  Germany's  greatness.  To  his 
amazement  he  was  told  that  German  warships, 
when  engaged  in  battle,  could  fire  upon  the 
enemy  from  a  distance  considerably  greater 
than  the  breadth  of  the  piain  we  were  then 
traversing.  Although  this  was  a  slight  exag- 
geration,  for  the  tableland  stretched  from  hori- 
zon  to  horizon,  it  produced  the  desired  effect. 
The  size  of  the  guns  from  which  these  shots 
were  fired,  I  pictured  to  him  by  saying  that  a 


2i8  THE  "AYESHA" 

sheep  could  easily  run  through  the  barrel  of 
any  one  of  them. 

Toward  noon  we  arrived  at  El  Ula,  and, 
much  to  my  surprise,  everything  was  in  readi- 
ness  for  us.  A  special  train  stood  waiting  for 
US,  its  angine  all  ready  for  the  order  to  light 
the  fires.    This  order  was  not  long  delayed. 

Two  German  gentlemen  and  a  number  of 
Turkish  officers  had  come  to  meet  us;  letters 
and  news  from  the  colonies  in  Syria  were 
awaiting  us.  We  were  treated  to  chilled  Rhine 
wine,  Champagne,  peaches,  and  other  delicacies 
of  which  we  had  long  been  deprived.  Being 
given  the  choice  between  a  glass  of  wine  and  a 
bath,  I  chose  the  former.  Why  depart  so  sud- 
dcnly  from  a  familiär  habit  to  which  one  had 
faithfully  adhered  for  weeks  past? 

A  few  hours  later  my  men  arrived.  I  rode 
out  a  Short  distance  to  meet  them.  With  flag 
flying,  and  cameras  pointed  at  us  from  every 
side,  we  marched  together  into  the  little  town 
where  a  railroad  and  a  waiting  room  gave  us  the 


c  c    t 


<■  "•< 


TO  THE  RAILROAD  219 

first  indication  that  we  were  retuming  to  civiliza- 
tion.  An  abundant  meal,  a  greater  abundance 
to  drink,  and  a  quick  bath  (after  all!)  occupied 
the  next  few  hours.  Then  the  train  moved 
northward  at  the  wonderful  speed  of  thirty  kilo- 
meters  an  hour,  and  we  could  yield  our  weary 
limbs  to  the  comfort  of  red-cushioned  seats,  a 
luxury  long  denied  us. 


Chapter  XIV 
HOMEWARD  BOUND 

Henceforth  our  joumey  was  free  from  dan- 
ger of  any  kind.  We  traveled  by  rail  over 
Damascus  and  Aleppo  through  Asia  Minor  to 
Constantinople.  At  two  points  on  our  joumey 
we  had  to  leave  the  railroad  and  travel  by 
wagon,  or  afoot,  as  the  railroad  had  not  been 
completed  at  these  places. 

Everywhere  we  were  entertained  most  cor- 
dially  and  hospitably  by  our  German  country- 
men  and  by  the  Turkish  authorities.  At  the 
railway  stations  large  crowds  were  always  as- 
sembled  to  greet  us.  There  were  bands  play- 
ing  and  flags  flying  to  welcome  us,  and  roses 
with  which  to  decorate  ourselves.  Gifts  were 
showered  upon  us  as  we  sat  in  our  carriages. 
New  clothing  was  provided  for  us,  and  we  shed 


HOMEWARD  BOUND  221 

no  tears  when  we  parted  from  öur  old  rags  and 
their  numerous  inhabitants. 

My  men  enjoyed  the  imprecedented  distinc- 
tion  of  dining  with  great  dignitaries  and  men 
high  in  authority.  Costly  presents  were  be- 
stowed  upon  us,  and  our  baggage  car,  that  at 
one  time  had  held  nothing  but  rags  and  our 
munitions,  now  filled  up  more  and  more.  At 
some  of  the  way  stations  at  which  our  train 
stopped  only  on  our  account,  large  numbers  of 
Bedouins  had  gathered  to  see  us.  They  raced 
along  beside  our  train,  and  when  it  stopped, 
they  gave  us  an  exhibition  of  fancy  riding. 
Many  a  social  glass  was  drained  in  the  Com- 
pany of  our  German  compatriots. 

At  last,  in  Aleppo,  we  received  news  from 
home,  the  first  in  ten  months.  Letters  from 
loved  ones  and  the  Iron  Gross!  What  more 
could  the  heart  desire?  There  were  two  large 
mail  bags  füll,  and  we  devoted  the  next  few 
days  to  our  mail  from  home,  to  reading  the 
many  letters  and  verses  that  had  been  sent 


222  THE  "AYESHA 


US,  to  writing  autographs,  and  to  making  away 
with  the  cigars,  chocolates,  and  other  good 
things  that  had  been  given  us. 

During  the  aftemoon  of  Whitsunday  our 
train  pulled  into  the  Station  at  Haider  Pasha, 
the  Asiatic  terminus  of  the  railway<  Here  my 
men  received  their  long-wished-for  Geraian 
uniforms,  which  had  been  forwarded  to  them. 
The  officers  also  had  succeeded  in  procur- 
ing  for  themselves  an  outfit  conforming,  in 
a  measure  at  least,  to  the  demands  made 
by  the  European  civilization  to  which  we  were 
retuming. 

The  Chief  of  our  Mediterranean  Division, 
who  was  also  chief  of  the  Turkish  fleet,  Ad- 
miral  Souchon,  had  honored  us  by  Coming  with 
his  staff  to  meet  us  at  Haider  Pasha.  My  men 
quickly  feil  in  line.  Our  flag,  which  we  had 
followed  for  ten  months,  was  flying  at  our  right 
wing.  A  few  brief  commands,  the  execution  of 
which  proved  that  the  brigand  existence  we  had 
led  for  months  had  not  destroyed  our  military 


HOMEWARD  BOUND  223 

trim,  and  my  sword  was  lowered  before  my 
superior  ofiicer: 

"I  report  the  landing  squad  from  the  *  Em- 
den/ five  ofl&cers,  seven  petty  officers,  and 
thirty  men  strong/* 


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THIS   BOOK   ON   THP   Z      '^^'^^RE  TO   RETURIS, 
DAY    AND     TO    $y  oo    ^'^^'''"^  ^^  ^"^  FOUR^ 


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